Alexander, Revisited
by delos13
Summary: Time travel is fascinating. Many of us wish to have the ability to do so and change the past to our liking. But what if you are forced to travel in time and when you do so you have no idea whether it is in order to change the past or witness it?
1. Book of Siwah, Ch 1

Author's Note #1: I have this story going for a couple of years now. I never posted it here since I wasn't sure that the story involving RP would be welcomed here. However, thanks for the bravery of I'veAbandonedControl and her wonderful story "Far, Far Away and Long, Long Ago" I decided to share my story with you as well. I've already wrote a number of chapters but I will post today only two of them. I hope they will be well received. I will post the other that I wrote over the next days.

Disclaimer # 1: I am fully aware that the movie with the same title exists (on DVD);

this story was born out of that movie but took turn to AU where it will

reside with no intention of coming into a conflict with the original

creation.

Disclaimer # 2: This story is a pure fiction. I don't know the real people involved,

everything they do and say in my story has nothing to do with the actual

lives of those people.

Note #2: The story is divided into 3 books. Each book consists of several chapters.

This is Book I – Siwah. Chapter 1 of 7

Comments: I would really like to know your opinions and appreciate your feedback.

Siwah Oasis, 2006

"Here, my Head of Logistics and Logic coming," and Colin motioned in with his hand to Jared to join the group of his fellow actors, "he will explain it all to you very clearly, my dear _Cassander_.

"What's up?" asked Jared, plumping himself into a vacant seat.

"I want to know," very theatrically declared Jonathan, "why we are here?"

"Why we are here? In Siwah? That is your question?"

"Yes, that's my question."

"Eh, because we are shooting Alexander's visit to Siwah….?"

"Yes, I know that we shooting Alexander's visit to Siwah, and that's exactly my question – why we should shoot it in Siwah? We went for Asian scenes to Morocco, we did India in Thailand, we shot the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in the middle of UK, for the god sake, why we were dragged to Siwah for Siwah scenes?"

"Ah, very philosophical question indeed," calmly commented Jared. "You should ask Mr. Plummer for explanation. Or, if _Aristotle_ can't help, ask _Thomas More_, before you behead him."

"Well, _our dear Chief of Logistics and Logic,_" with a mixture of mirth and surprise in his voice started Gary Stretch, "Though I unfortunately missed all the fun you had in Mieza I can understand why you suggested to Jonathan to ask Aristotle's advice, however, you completely lost me on Thomas More beheading."

"Well," and Jared lazily stretched himself in a chair, "Jonathan, tell them."

"I was offered the role of Henry the VIII in TV series."

"Wow," Colin almost jumped in his seat, "Congratulations, Jonathan! Why are you being so modest and hiding this fact from us? Jared, I officially appoint you as the Head of my Spy Office; I do have one, right? Where is my Chief Entertainment Officer? We have a great reason to celebrate! As one king to another I have to tell you, Jonathan…"

"Will you invite Pharaoh to your celebrations?" merrily asked Elliot Cowan.

The whole group started laughing. Jokes and laugh were good distractions. They sat there for some time already, all dressed up and ready for the scene because at the last moment something went wrong, and they had to wait, and wait, and wait. They tried to hide their worries from each other that with so many things deviated from the original plan since their arrival in Siwah, they may be stuck here far longer than was originally intended. And they all had plans. And they all were a little apprehensive about this second version of Alexander; was it such a good idea to redo a movie? True, it was Oliver's pet project for many years, but when the movie was released, it didn't do so well, and it was criticized by almost everybody, and Oliver wanted to correct, and to explain, and to make it better. They all said "yes" to this new version, they couldn't abandon Oliver, but was his decision wise?

"Ok," said Jared standing up, "I actually have to go and but I am leaving you in a capable hands of our King who will be wise to remember that his Chief Entertainment Officer is not supposed to show up until we reach Babylon."

The joke drew a new burst of laughter but Colin caught Jared's hand at the last moment.

"First of all, you are not supposed to leave my side, but on a more serious note, where are you going? We may be able to resume shoot any moment now."

"As your newly appointed Head of Spy Office, I can tell you that it won't start for at least another hour, and I am going to visit some nearby caves."

"There are caves here?" asked Elliot.

"Yes, Massoud, our location guide, showed me where they are, it's just over there," and Jared pointed in general direction of dates palms orchard. "I already asked Deirdre to find me a flashlight so I can go inside."

"Deirdre, ah? She is not even a blond."

"Jonathan, stop being so sarcastic. She is a production assistant, she is supposed to help us."

"No, you are wrong, production assistants are not supposed to help actors, but I can understand that since you recently almost completely abandoned your acting career in favor of a music one, you forgot those tiny details."

"Is it your petty revenge for me giving away your secret?"

"Guys, stop quarreling," stepped in Gary. "Jared, I don't think it's such a bright idea to go into the caves all dressed up. You may score favors with production assistant but wardrobe people will freak out if you show up after your cave adventure all dirty, and Oliver won't be happy either."

"I'll be careful. See you later."

"Jared!"

"See you later!.."

Deirdre waited for Jared besides the caves with a torch. She couldn't find any flashlight but thought the torch would do. They already shoot the scene where Alexander goes into the temple of Ammon and her props buddy felt it save to lend her one. Of cause, she didn't tell him why she needed it, but nobody asked Deirdre why she needed anything. She had a marvelous ability to help anybody with anything and people usually never said 'no' to her, who knew when they may need her help. Besides being very efficient she was also very discreet, unobtrusive and never asked for personal favors. As a matter of fact, many people wanted to do her favors, not only to get credit with her but as a genuine thank you but she laughingly evaded most of those attempts.

At last she saw Jared approaching and inwardly smiled. She liked Jared. She liked his sense of humor, she liked his friendly attitude (at least towards her) and she liked how he balanced his absolute dedication to his job with ability to satisfy his very curious nature.

"Wow, that's a real torch. Where did you manage to get it?"

"Well, you know, props, don't you recognize it from yesterday? Apparently, they don't have a flashlight in their arsenal, but this," and she gave Jared the torch, "do you still want it?"

"Yah, I suppose. I hope I won't set that cave on fire or something, Massoud told me it's absolutely dry inside, no water. Oh, well. I won't be long anyway."

"Does anybody know where you're going?"

"I told the guys, they weren't very receptive to my idea, I guess I will have this cave all to myself."

"OK, just don't get lost."

"I won't. See you later. I promise I return the torch."

Jared stepped into the cave and waived a torch in front of him, just to have a better impression of what was inside. It was rather spacious, just as Massoud said. "OK," he whispered, "let's see what do we have here. May be I'll get lucky as Ali Baba did. Band can actually use some free cash."

His thoughts turned to his brother and others. He felt very guilty because he had to leave so abruptly, and not only they already made some plans for these months, a couple of weeks before he got his "summons" from Oliver, Shannon wanted to go on vacation with his new girl friend, and Jared made a scene and Shannon cancelled his plans. When Jared told his brother that he has to leave unexpectedly for the new version of Alexander, Shannon went amok with anger. Matt tried to reconcile them but Shannon was still fuming and didn't talk to his brother until his leave. Jared called him several times but it was no use. He spoke to both Matt and Tomo but there was no relenting from Shannon side. Jared only hoped that he can somehow patch the things when he get back but it looked like his month stay was about to get extended and he didn't have the courage yet to mention it to the other members of his band. He tried to write some songs but couldn't concentrate on either words or music. He started to question his self assurance that he can successfully dedicate his time to both acting and music but he really couldn't make a choice. He would never accept any new script if the timing of the shoot was in conflict with the time he set aside for band but the reshoot of Alexander was completely different matter though it came at the worst time possible.

Jared tried to be his usual jovial self around everybody else but it was becoming more difficult task with each passing day. He forced himself more often to get into Hephaistion mind set hoping it will distract him from his own problems but that guy life wasn't sugar coated either. When one night he woke up sick with worry because he dreamt about Alexander succumbing to his wounds after the ill fated siege of the Mallian capital, he decided that he didn't want to take on other person's problems when he has plenty of his own.

So now, he was there, alone in a cave, escaping the necessity of acting around his fellow performers. "Actor, looking for excuses not to act and musician not capable of producing a coherent string of notes, that's just great!" Jared waved the torch in annoyance in front of himself and realized that he came to a dead end. "Just great!" he said again loud, "that's what I am really facing, a dead end." He sighed and then realized that he completely lost track of time. He brought his hand up to check the watch, then remembered that he of cause wasn't wearing one. "Oh, crap, I hope I wasn't here for too long; Oliver firing me, that's what is missing in my life."

He abruptly turned around and started to go back when he heard voices in front of him. "Great, they came searching for me. Let's hope that Colin got bored and dragged everybody with him here." He saw reflection of the approaching fire on the wall and then could hear that somebody was calling for Hephaistion. "Thanks god," Jared felt relieved, "it must be really Colin." He speeded his walk and almost immediately saw two guys dressed in short chitons coming in his direction. Neither of them looked like Colin. When he came closer he realized that he didn't recognize either of them.

"Ah, probably shoot got delayed even further and Jonathan decided to play some joke on me convincing somebody I don't know to dress up and go in my search. I think I am up for a challenge, let's play, it may distract me."

"Well, fellas, what are you doing here?"

"Alexander sent us back to the cave to look for Hephaistion, did you see him?"

"Of course I did," smiled Jared, "he went further to investigate the underground lake. We were told it's very beautiful and he wanted to check for himself before surprising Alexander. He sent me back so the king won't worry."

"We came with Hephaistion to the entrance of the cave, he went in alone," uncertainly responded one of the guys.

"Well, of course, I was waiting for him inside. He probably didn't deem it necessary to mention it to you. Need to know basis, sounds familiar?"

"Then we better go further and ask him to come back with us, please tell Alexander not to worry," and guys brushed past him in somewhat of a hurry.

"That's the scenario that Jonathan came up with?" astonishingly thought Jared. "He'd better stick to his acting career." But he decided that it was time to get out of the cave anyway and continued in the direction of the exit.

When he saw the daylight, he extinguished the torch and stepped out of the cave.

"What's the hell?" he thought to himself, "did I take a wrong turn and came to another exit? But there wasn't any forks in the cave, there can't be another exit…" He looked puzzled at the scenery before him. There were those date palms, but nothing else, nobody in sight, the place was completely deserted, not a live soul in view. He jumped around when somebody tapped him on a shoulder.

"Who are you?" asked the man in front of him. Jared stared at him in amazement. He didn't know this guy nor did he recognize anybody in a group of men standing nearby and all looking in his direction. They all were dressed pretty much the same way that he was dressed himself. "Did Oliver cancel scenes scheduled for today and decided to shoot something else? But what? And where did he get all those extras loitering around and messing with other people's business? And where is everything?"

"Can you talk?" asked the same man. "Are you scared? I won't hurt you. What did you do in that cave? You are dressed like a Macedonian but I don't know you, what is your name?"

Jared shook his head trying to collect his thoughts. It was too sophisticated to be a prank. "What the f… is going on here?" he thought again and then turned his attention to the man in front of him, "And you are?"

The man tilted his head to the left and a smile appeared on his lips. "You don't know who I am? My name is Alexander, I am a king of Macedon, and now a Pharaoh of this land."

"Yes, of course you are, and I am Hephaistion, your best friend and lover. Did Egyptian sun melt your brain and you didn't recognize me?" Jared was fuming because he couldn't figure out what's going on.

Next second he felt roughly grabbed by his chiton and his body almost collided with the guy who called himself Alexander.

"How dare you?" thundered the man. Out of the corner of his eye Jared saw other men closing by.

"If you wanted to claim being Alexander the Great you should have arranged for the corresponding lenses to match his different eye color. Now, let me go." Jared tried to no avail to disentangle himself from the man when he felt that the grip loosening and he was free.

"Alexander the Great, ah? You definitely know how to offend and how to flatter. So, who are you?"

"My name is Jared."

"I never heard of such a name, it sounds very strange, how would you even write it?"

For some unexplained reason Jared decided to oblige and started to write his name on sand with a tip of his sandal when to his horror he realized that his letters weren't English at all but Greek.

"What's going on?" Jared went into a complete shock. "Was it me who got a sunstroke? But how can it be? I was in a cave. Or that cave have some mold and I am hallucinating now, or I got bitten by a poisonous snake or a scorpion?"

His thoughts were interrupted by the shouts of the men hastily exiting the cave.

"Alexander, Hephaistion is not there, but we saw a man who said…." then they pointed at him, "this is the man we saw in the cave, he said he had seen Hephaistion who went further into the cave to investigate some underground lake. But we didn't find the lake and we didn't find Hephaistion either. The cave ends with a dead end and there are no other tunnels or anything."

"I am not amused anymore," said Alexander, "what did you do to Hephaistion?"

"I am not amused either," replied Jared, "and of all the people I am the last one who would ever try to harm him."

"Then what happened?"

"I don't know, I don't understand it myself."

"But you saw him. Why did you lie to the guards about the lake? You did see him in the cave, right?"

"Alexander, I think we should question him with more convincing means", started one of the men who were in a group surrounding Alexander.

"Who is he?" ventured the question Jared. Strangely, Alexander responded, "His name is Ptolemy, his is…"

"I know who Ptolemy is, I probably know all of them," and Jared nodded in their direction, I just need to place names to the faces."

"Well, I know your name now, but I don't know who you are and what you are doing here and where is Hephaiston?"

"Alexander, you must be careful," worriedly said Ptolemy, "he may be a hired assassin."

"I missed a lot of chances then," parried Jared, "Alexander, we need to talk. Alone. Please."

Alexander thought for a moment, then motioned with his head to Jared, "All right, let's hear what you have to say," and he stepped out off earshot from his friends. Jared followed.

"Alexander, I am not believing in what's going on and I don't have an explanation. Maybe it's all just a dream."

"Well, it's doesn't feel like a dream to me."

"That's a problem, because it doesn't feel like a dream to me either. It's all so real. I just can't comprehend it. It can't happen in reality."

"What can't happen in reality?"

"Time travel."

"What's the time travel?"

"That's exactly what it is. Travel in time. Going back into the past or forward into the future. And how the hell I speak Macedonian? I speak Macedonian, right?"

"Sounds like a perfect Macedonian to me," smiled Alexander, "maybe just with a little bit of…."

"Athenian accent?"

"No, not Athenian accent, you use some strange expressions. Why would you mention Athenian accent?"

"It's a common consensus that Hephaistion was from Athens, or at least spent some years there, long enough to pick their accent."

Alexander frowned. "Nothing of the kind. And why would you be having his accent?"

"I wasn't joking when I said that I was Hephaistion. I am an actor. We are making a movie about you, and I am playing his part."

"Movie?"

"Yes, it's like a performance in a theatre."

"You don't look much like him."

"Yeah, I figured that out by now. Colin doesn't look much like you either."

"Colin, is it a name of a guy who plays me?"

"Yes."

"Sounds more pronounceable than Jared."

"Alexander is also sounds more pronounceable than Hephaistion."

"So, you came from future?"

"You don't seem much surprised?"

"Why would I? Gods can do anything with men. Including transferring them from future to the past. So, how exactly you got here, in Siwah?"

"We were shooting part of the movie about your visit to Siwah. Shooting, it's like, eh, have no idea how to explain it; you know what, we were rehearsing the part where you went to Siwah. And for that we went to Siwah. Jonathan, the guy who plays Cassander, was actually complaining about it."

"Cassander is not here, he is back in Pella with his father. Didn't you know that, in future?"

"Yes, of course; ever heard of poetic license?"

"Oh, I see. Go on."

"So, we had a break in rehearsals, and I went to this cave, because…well, just because. I started to think about some problems that I have currently in my life and I don't really know how much time has passed, but not much really, and then I came to a dead end and decided to turn back. I met those guards. I thought my friends playing a joke on me, so, I fed them bunch of lies, and then I came out of the cave, and, and, there was nothing, none of the people or equipment, or wagons, nothing. Then you tapped me on my shoulder. You know the rest."

Alexander brow darkened. "Those guards, they came with Hephaistion to the cave. He didn't explain to them why he wanted to go and see it. He instructed them to stay outside and wait. I was looking for him and was told in what direction he left. I ordered those guards to go inside and fetch him. You know the rest."

Alexander was silent for a moment. "If you ended up here, does it mean that he ended up in your time?"

"I have no idea how does it work. But it sounds logical. At least I hope so."

"So, how do you switch places back?"

"I wish I knew. I don't even understand at what moment it happened. There is nothing unusual about that cave. As a matter of fact, it's the most prosaic cave that I've ever visited. Not that I visited many caves. There was nothing. Not some fancy flashes, no ominous sounds, and no animals leading the way. Absolutely nothing happened to indicate that something happened.

"I need to get Hephaistion back."

"Tell me about it."

"Maybe we should go back into the cave and see for ourselves."

"We can try it; somehow I don't believe it would help."

"Let's try it anyway."

"All right. Alexander," and Jared touched the king's hand, "did you really believe me?"

"Yes. Are you lying to me?"

"No. But I can't believe it."

Hephaistion couldn't really explain what made him to want to go and see the cave. Some local guy told him about it and Hephaistion, on spur of a moment, decided to go and explore it. But there was absolutely nothing interesting inside and, after hitting the dead end, he turned back. He was sort of lost in his thoughts approaching the exit of the cave when some girl jumped on him from seemingly nowhere.


	2. Book of Siwah, Ch 2

Disclaimer # 1: I am fully aware that the movie with the same title exists (on DVD);

this story was born out of that movie but took turn to AU where it will

reside with no intention of coming into a conflict with the original

creation.

Disclaimer # 2: This story is a pure fiction. I don't know the real people involved,

everything they do and say in my story has nothing to do with the actual

lives of those people.

Comments: I would really like to know your opinions and appreciate the feedback.

Siwah Oasis, 2006

"You know what's wrong with him?" Elliot asked Colin moments after Jared left.

"I don't know that anything is wrong with him, period. Why would you even ask that question?"

"He seems sort of out of it, lately."

"Out of what?"

"I don't know. Something is not right."

"You're imagining things, Elliot."

"Well, I think he is not," said Jonathan.

"Why would you say so?"

"Well, I heard he quarreled with his brother because he has to leave. He may tell everybody around that he is a master of balancing his acting and music careers, but when it really comes to choices, it looks like he is not going to sacrifice his needs in favor of those of his band. And his band is not going to take it easy, especially that as far as I remember, it was his brother who put the band together and then asked Jared to join."

"Wow, you know a lot about each other," with contrite smile commented Colin. "Anything else you care to share?" The tone of his voice was very nonchalant and yet he felt uncomfortable in a silence that followed his question.

"Being jealous?" smirked Jonathan. "As Alexander, or as Colin?"

"Oh, come on, guys," Neil felt that it was his turn to say something, "Don't be daft. That was one of the most ridiculous rumors I've ever heard. And you, Jonathan, stop pretending to be Cassander all the time."

"I thought it was Ptolemy's role to act as a peacekeeper, not Perdiccas', shrugged the accusation Jonathan, 'and I just said it as a joke, I am bored out of my mind."

"I am not offended," suddenly said Colin when everybody else thought he'd be happy to drop the topic, "May be someone else is scared that his name will be linked with a guy lover, but I am not, I am too busy remembering the name of the last girl I slept with, and Jared, well, we all know that the number of blond bombs attached to his name makes this rumor pretty stupid. He is a good friend of mine, and if he needs help and I can give it to him, I will definitely do so, even if it involves going to his bedroom in a middle of a night knowing that paparazzi are creeping around."

"It is a very passionate speech," commented Jonathan but even he was discouraged by all the angry looks from his friends, "OK, well, let's change the subject, but just to finish what Elliot started," and Jonathan gave his best effort on emphasizing his friend name, "I think there is something wrong with Jared, so may be you can have a talk with him later today."

The conversation drifted to other subjects and none of them actually noticed how much time passed when Adrian, second assistant director, came to them, waving his hands, "Come on, guys, everything is in order, we can resume shooting".

When they were near the set Colin noticed Deirdre anxiously scanning the crowd of the approaching actors. It took Colin just a moment to realize that she was looking for Jared. At the same moment came the realization that Jared indeed wasn't with them and the fact that Deirdre was looking for him could mean only one thing. He sighed and said to the others, "I'll join you in a moment."

"Jared is still in the caves, isn't he?" asked Colin without preliminaries.

"I think so," confirmed Deirdre, "it's all my fault, I shouldn't have found that torch for him."

"It's not your fault, though you should stop accommodating his crazy ideas."

"I didn't think it's a crazy idea, he just wanted to see what's inside."

"Yes, but not in a middle of a shoot. Ok, go back to the cave and wait for me there."

"But now you are in a middle of a shoot."

"Leave it to me," and he turned back to the set to find Oliver.

He saw Oliver talking to one of the cameraman giving the last instructions. He tagged him on the sleeve, "Can we talk for a sec?"

"Ah, Colin, here you are; ready?"

"Look," Colin started hesitantly, "I need to go and fetch somebody."

"Fetch somebody? Can't this somebody wait till we finish this shoot?"

"I am talking about Jared."

"He is not here? I thought you guys were all together. OK, I'll give instructions to go and bring him here. Where is he?"

"Eh, look, it's sort of awkward, but I think it's me who should go after him."

"Don't be ridiculous, I am not paying you to go and fetch people, better…"

"I know, but I said some stupid things to him and I think…"

"I don't know what stupid things you may have said to him but it's not a kindergarten here. Are you saying that Jared got offended and won't come until you personally go and summon him?"

"No, I am just saying, that I feel that I need to go and bring him, I know it's sounds strange, but please, trust me on this, besides, it will be faster. Oliver?"

Director eyed Colin suspiciously. "I don't know why I am allowing it. Just do it quickly, and if both of you are going to disappear on me…."

"We won't, we won't," cried Colin as he run away.

Deirdre reached the entrance of the cave and stood there hesitantly for some time. She would like to go and search for Jared but she didn't have any light and was wondering now what to do when Colin catch up with her. Perhaps, she can go and find another torch. Then, feeling in a way responsible for Jared disappearance, she decided to go inside just a little. She felt quite confident after a couple of steps with the bright light from outside giving her a good view of the cave entrance. She ventured a little further, uncertain and jittery, the outside light diminishing with every step she took. At the last moment, when she decided that it was enough and she would turn back, she saw some light flickering from the inside the cave. The moment later the light became brighter. "Thanks god," she thought, "Jared had sense to come back on time. Even his timing is perfect." She pressed her lips in a silent rebuke to herself feeling frustrated that despite her best efforts she was becoming attracted to Jared. "Well, maybe I should scare him a little, like a friend playing a prank," she decided, "I still want to be comfortable around him, it will ease my pressure."

She waited till the light of the torch became clearer and a shadow appeared on the wall, when the shadow was replaced with actual person, she jumped on him, saying, "Jared, everybody is looking for you. What took you so long?"

In a next moment she realized that the person wasn't actually Jared.

"Oh, I am so sorry," she said surprised, "I was sure it was Jared. I didn't know that anybody else went inside the cave. Did you see him? The filming is resumed and he is really needed on the set. Colin is coming looking for him too. He will get himself into a lot of trouble." She was exiting the cave as she was talking and could hear the steps of the person behind her. Outside the cave she turned around and looked at the stranger.

She blinked several times. "Is it not enough that I started feeling uncomfortable around Jared because of his looks, and now this? Who gave those guys the right to look that breathtaking? I hope I am not gaping too obviously." She made an effort to tear her gaze away from the unknown beauty only to be forced to look at him again. To her relief she noticed that he wasn't looking at her at all but was surveying the area silently.

"What is all this?" he asked at last looking at Deirdre. She swallowed hard praying to god that her voice won't be too shaky.

"What do you mean?"

"All those people over there, and those machines and buildings. Are you going to erect a new temple in that area?" He looked at Deirdre again, this time paying a little more attention to the woman before him, "you may look native, but you dressed really strange."

"Native? You mean Egyptian? No, no, I am Irish."

"Irish? Where is that?"

"What do you mean, 'where is that?' I even live in Ireland. What kind of a question is that?"

"Ireland? I never heard about it before but you can tell me all about it later. So, what are all those people doing? When I went into the cave, there was nobody there, I would notice. It looks like the same place I entered. And did you see Epokl and Kardilis, they are my pages? I left them here, at the entrance, with my horse."

"What do you mean?"

"You don't understand me?" Hephaistion felt frustrated but could see that the girl wasn't playing him around. He sighed. He would go to those people, maybe his pages also went there though he couldn't quite figure out why would they abandon their post.

"It's all right. It's not your fault. I am surprised that you speak any Macedonian at all."

"I speak Macedonian? What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on, girl, why are you asking this question all the time? What's your name again?"

"Deirdre."

"Hm, a bit unusual, but nice. My name is Hephaistion."

Deirdre silently opened her mouth, and then closed it again. "Ah….."

"Deirdre!"

She spun around and saw Colin. "Oh, thanks god," she almost swooned into the actor's hands.

Colin looked at the clearly shaken girl and then at Hephaistion.

"OK, I see, I understand why you were distracted from your search for Jared," Colin smiled at her benevolently and then winked at Hephaistion. He noticed the torch in Hephaistion hand. "So nice of you to bring the light. We really don't have a lot of time, let's go and find my wayward lover."

"You are an actor!" suddenly said Hephaistion in a tone in which Archimedes probably cried 'Eureka'.

"Is he as slow as he is beautiful?" thought Colin but only said, "Yeah, how did you know?"

"Your wig," smiled Hephaistion. "I hope it's for some sort of comedy."

"Why?"

"It looks funny. Strange choice, though, comedy. Alexander would prefer _Myrmidons_"

"_Myrmidons_? I thought he preferred _Iliad?_ "

"Yes, of course, but whom you are going to play in that wig? Certainly not Achilles?"

"Why everyone is so critical of this wig? Nobody is trashing Jared for his hair extensions! Speaking of which, there is really no time for this discussion, let's go into the cave and look for Jared."

Colin made a wide gesture inviting Hephaistion to go into the cave first but Hephaistion only shook his head, "I just came from this cave. There is nobody inside. I know this girl is looking for somebody called Jared and though I don't know how he looks like, I can assure you that there is nobody there. You'll be wasting your time. However, I need to find my pages and my horse. I think the curiosity drove them in your direction but I really need to go back, I have a lot of things to do for tomorrow's ceremony. If you go back with me and help me find my people, I can make sure that Alexander will attend your play. Or you want it to be a surprise for him?"

"I beg your pardon?" Colin stared at Hephaistion in disbelieve.

Given some respite from being involved in the weirdest conversation she ever had in her life, Deirdre said in a loud whisper to her fellow Irishman, "Colin, we may lost Jared, but this guy said that his name was Hephaistion, do you think Oliver will accept the substitute?"

"Are you nuts?" suddenly shouted Colin struck with the thought that Jared and Deirdre were making fun of him, "Do you know that the shoot is stopped because of you? Everything is ready and you playing your sick jokes on me? Wait until Oliver hears about it! I am not going to repeat it again, Jared, come out now or I am done here. You want to be replaced with somebody else and go back to your band? I think it can be arranged very quickly!" fuming, Colin started to go back to the set, not even waiting for response.

"I don't know who you really are," Deirdre pleadingly said to Hephaistion, "but please help, we have to stop him, please."

"All right", said Hephaistion; the fright on the girl's face was very genuine and though he wasn't yet quite sure what was going on, he could sense something was definitely not how it was supposed to be. He quickly caught up with Colin.

"Look, Colin, right? I think you are being unfair to Deirdre. Nobody is playing a joke on you; well, may be not on you personally. Colin!" and Hephaistion strongly grabbed Colin on the wrist. Actor tried to shake the grip but was unable to. So, he stopped and looked angrily at his adversary. The guy was exceptionally beautiful. That kind of beauty that makes a knot in your stomach and paralyzes you into stupor. That kind of beauty that makes a gender of a person irrelevant. That kind of beauty that takes your common sense away and leaves your speechless.

"Yes," said Colin and averted his eyes.

"Colin," Hephaistion released his grip and shifted so that he can still face the actor. "I don't know what's going on. I can't recognize this place though it looks similar to the place as it was before I went into that cave. I don't know you and you don't know me either. You think that your friends playing jokes on you, but I would say that somebody playing jokes on all of us. Who is that Jared that both of you so anxious to find?"

"He is my fellow actor."

"You called him your wayward lover."

"Only in a movie."

"Movie?"

"Yes," Colin exhaled heavily, resigned to continue with this strange conversation, "It's like a play."

"Do I know it?"

"You have to, sort of," Colin shrugged his shoulders, "It's called _Alexander_, like in Alexander the Great."

"Alexander the Great?"

"Yes. Aren't you supposed to know who he is? Calling yourself Hephaistion and such."

"Yes, it's me; I just wasn't aware that somebody already wrote a play about Alexander, though he would definitely like to be called the Great; it's just that nobody usually writes a tale about a living person, only after his death the hero's deeds are immortalized in songs."

"It is more than twenty-three centuries after his death, more than enough time; though of cause people started to write about Alexander long time ago and I don't think they will ever stop."

"What do you mean, twenty-three centuries? How much is a century?"

"A hundred years. Why I even having this absurd conversation?"

"Twenty-three hundred years…." repeated Hephaistion slowly and Colin saw how suddenly all the color was drained from his face. "Even the gods can't do that. Can they?" and Hephaistion looked at Colin in confusion.

"How the hell should I know?" Colin felt frustrated and disoriented somehow. How is he supposed to react to all that nonsense? That guy can be Oscar material for all he knows but Deirdre wasn't an actress and she looked bewildered and frightened. Is it all for real indeed?"

"OK," said Colin and came to stand inches from Deirdre, "you swear that all this is not a joke you and Jared are playing on me?"

"No, not a joke," Deirdre shook her head first in a "yes" and then in a "no" movement.

"And you are saying that you are Hephaistion, son of Amyntor, the best friend of Alexander, his soulmate, his lover, his…everything?"

"_Everything_ sounds right."

"I think I need a drink. And a cigarette. And Jared."

"Who is Jared again?" asked Hephaistion.

"It's you," answered Deirdre, "and before you ask further, Jared is an actor in this…play, he plays you."

"And he plays Alexander?" Hephaistion nodded in Colin's direction.

"Yes, I play Alexander," responded Colin, "and please, can you not comment on this wig again?"

"Yes, I can. Though it's a nice distraction from this situation. Are you saying I was somehow brought into the future? Judging by your reactions, it's not that happens here too often?"

"It's not happens here, period. You know," Colin continued absent mindedly, "I read that in the old times, when author didn't know how to finish his play in a believable way, he just employed "Deus ex machina" solution, where god would just appear and explain the situation to the audience. This would come very handy now. Though, wait, I think "Deus ex machina" is a Latin phrase, it means…"

"I can easily guess what it means," smiled Hephaistion, "Aristotle criticized it in his _Poetics._"

"Oh," said Colin, "I would still like somebody come here and explain it all to me."

"I think you got you wish granted," gloomily said Deirdre, "Oliver is coming. Though I am not sure that it is he who will be doing the explanation part."

"Oh, shit," cursed Colin, "I promised him to bring Jared back in no time. Hephaistion, for the sake of argument, suppose I believe you. Can you help me here? You supposed to be the negotiator, the politician, the kingmaker, you suppose to be able to calm Alexander when he is in his worst moods, I hope you can help me manage one angry, well, very angry director."

"Director?"

"Well, I don't remember how it was called in your time. He is the boss here. Like a king. Please?"

"Anything for Alexander."

Deirdre giggled.


	3. Book of Siwah, ch 3

_**Alexander Revisited, Book I (Siwah), chapter 3**_

Disclaimer # 1: I am fully aware that the movie with the same title exists (on DVD); this story was born out of that movie but took turn to AU where it will reside with no intention of coming into a conflict with the original creation.

Disclaimer # 2: This story is a pure fiction. I don't know the real people involved; everything they do and say in my story has nothing to do with the actual lives of those people.

I would really like to know your opinions; thanks for your support and kind reviews.

Siwah Oasis, 331 BC

Jared went after Alexander but the king stopped after a couple of paces. He turned back to Jared and said, "Look, I have no choice but to believe you. Maybe it's a test that gods sent my way. And yours, apparently. We can't fail this test, we have to do our best. I am sure you possess qualities that you may not even be aware of. We'll go through it together, and then, then we shall see. You just have to believe."

"I know," Jared looked somewhere into the distance, "I know that you never failed at anything, I wish I could tell the same about myself."

Alexander smiled. "You see, you know that I never failed because you are from the future; I know that I will never fail by simply believing in it. You should do the same."

Jared looked at Alexander studying him openly. His eyes were not different colors, they were sort of hazel with a tint of blue and his eyelashes were rather short and very straight, his nose was well proportioned to the rest of his face, his hair were dirty sand and rather unruly, no golden locks, and nothing like that ridiculous wig, absentmindedly thought Jared, his jaw was a little square and that added to his determined expression and a very sure posture. He was strongly built and rather stocky but there was some lightness about him, some easiness, as if some hidden spring was at any moment ready to uncoil and jump into action. "He bears no resemblance to Colin," wistfully thought Jared, "if he did, it would be easier for me to handle."

Alexander waited patiently a few moments and then said, "We have to move on. We'll go to the cave now. I will ask others to follow at some distance. You listen to what I say and don't contradict. Try not to look too shaken or surprised. I want you to give the impression that everything is normal. Nothing is amiss. Show me how good you are at acting." Jared just nodded, still unable to collect himself. Alexander, not looking at him anymore, quickly closed the distance between himself and the rest of his friends.

"We are going into the cave to tie some loose ends," without preliminaries started Alexander. "Ptolemy, Perdiccas, take Hephaistion's pages and come with us. Leonnatus and Seleucus, choose three people to stay here with you and wait for us outside; Philotas, take the rest and head back to settlement. Tell Black Kleitos and Krateros not to worry, there is no danger here."

"Can you tell us what's going on?" asked Perdiccas. "And where is Hephaistion?"

"Do not worry about Hephaistion, he is fine. He had to leave on some mission, and this man," Alexander nodded in Jared direction, "is our connection to him."

"How can you be so sure," asked Philotas, "you never saw this man before; whatever he is saying to you, how do you know that you can trust him?"

"He used the password that I and Hephaistion agreed upon and he fits the description. Now, let's move. We don't have all day."

At the entrance to the cave Alexander stopped. He took one torch that pages lit for him and motioned to Jared to come closer. Then he said to Ptolemy, "You follow behind us but not too closely. I want you to be out of earshot." Ptolemy tried to protest but Alexander just shook his head. "It's not a good moment to argue. Let's go."

The cave was wide enough for Alexander and Jared to go side by side and there was still ample space between them and the walls. As Jared remembered from his initial journey through the cave, there was absolutely nothing special about it. No drawings on the walls, no foreign objects, no unusual sounds; even shadows from the torch were plain and unimpressive. "No Oscar nominations for those Special Effects," dully thought Jared.

"I don't think we find anything here," quietly stated Alexander.

"It was your idea to come here and check," replied Jared. "If you believe there is nothing here, why did we come at all?"

"Just to cover all the bases. But truly, I don't expect to find Hephaistion back here. It would be too simple. What would be the point of this test?"

"You still believe it's a test?"

"Of course. I just don't know yet what's it about. When we figure that out, we will be one step closer to solving the problem how to get Hephaistion back here and you back to your time."

"I wish I have your confidence," whispered Jared. "It's all too strange for me. I can't believe that I'm actually talking and walking with Alexander the Great; that I somehow was brought back to the distant past to… to do what? Why would anybody want to test me? Test me about what? What did I do to deserve this incredible experience? Is it a gift or a punishment?" Jared fell silent for a moment. "If it's a test for you and even for Hephaistion, why was I brought here?"

"Because you Hephaistion too…."

"Oh, don't!"

"But it is so, isn't it? True, you don't look like him, you don't act like him and you can't replace him but I hope you'll give me the same support and there is one thing that you can do for me that even Hephaistion can't, and nobody else."

"What is it?" cautiously asked Jared.

"You can talk about Hephaistion with me. I can talk about him with you. I always wanted to talk with somebody about Hephaistion, explain what he really means for me, share my fears of loosing him, share my hopes that we'll be together till the end, may be even to boast about him." Alexander voice took a dreamy tone that didn't escape Jared's attention. "I speak to gods sometimes about him," the king continued, "I thank them for their gift, I pray to them for his safety, I implore them to let us be together till our deaths. Tell me, Jared, are gods going to answer my prayers?"

Jared, too taken aback by Alexander question, remained silent.

"Jared, please answer me."

"I can't, Alexander. I can't tell you what future holds in store for you. I have no right. I told you that you are going to be remembered forever as Alexander the Great, I am afraid that if I tell you more, something will go wrong, future may change, everything may change. I can't be responsible for such a thing. If you want the answer to that question, you have to ask the gods."

"I was going to. I was going to ask Ammon tomorrow about that."

"You what? You were going to ask Ammon what?"

"I was going to ask Ammon if Hephaistion would be always by my side, if we were going to be together till our last breaths."

"You weren't going to ask him about you being son of Zeus?"

"Me being son of Zeus? What on earth made you think so? True, my mother spread those crazy rumors, she thought to boost my image; all it did was to cast a doubt on my right to the throne of Macedon. I never wanted to be anybody's son, but Philip's."

"So, you risked your life and lives of those who came with you, including that of Hephaistion, coming to this place to ask Ammon about whether you and he will be always together, till the end? Is it so? Is it, Alexander?"

"Yes," rather dryly answered the king, "you don't see it as worthy endeavor? You, of all the people?"

"I, I don't know," uncertainly answered Jared. "It's just not what everybody thought. What, what did you tell your companions? You certainly didn't tell them the real reason? I wouldn't believe you told Hephaistion either, did you?"

"No, I didn't tell the real reason to anybody. But now it's all useless. Gods had a hard laugh at my expense. I came here to ask whether Hephaistion and I will be always together and I lost him as a result. If I wouldn't come here, Hephaistion would be still at my side. What a joke!"

Alexander stopped. Jared first thought that it's because of the unpleasant truth that Alexander just discovered but then he realized that they came to the end of the cave. The same dead end that he contemplated not so long ago when he thought about his own life. Alexander waved the torch from side to side, looking if there was anywhere else to go. But there was nothing. He sighed.

They stood there in silence for some time till the others caught up with them. "Did you find what you were looking for?" asked Ptolemy.

"Yes, and then some," sharply replied Alexander. "We are heading back. You all go ahead. Send Leonnatus back to the settlement. I want some tents to be brought here. Also food and other things we may need. I am going to spend the night near the cave. Laertes is staying with me. Leave us some guards and you all can go back."

"Alexander," hesitantly started Perdiccas, "This is very unusual. You have to tell us what's going on. You can't stay here alone for the night. Besides, tomorrow morning, you were going to the temple of Ammon. The priests will be waiting for you."

"I will be tomorrow morning at the temple of Ammon, and you are not going to tell me what to do. Now, go and don't argue."

"Yes, Alexander. I will send Leonnatus. But we are staying the night here, with you."

"As you wish," tonelessly answered Alexander.

Perdiccas gave a visible sigh and turned to go back. Ptolemy and the pages followed him in silence. Jared hesitantly looked at Alexander. "You called me Laertes, why?"

"Just the first name that came to my mind. Jared is too unusual. I don't want you to be considered too much of a stranger."

"I think they heard me when I first told you my name, I even wrote it on sand."

"That may be. We'll say that it was a password. Now, let's go. We'll settle outside for the night. Maybe something will happen. You'll stay in my tent. I'll tell the others not to bother us. I don't want them to ask too many questions. At least not now. If they ask anyway, tell them that you are not at liberty to say but preferably leave the talking to me."

"I understand, Alexander, but they are your friends. You can't leave them in a complete darkness. They are worried about you. They are probably worried about Hephaistion as well. We have to come up with some credible explanation."

"Yes, they are my friends, but they are my subjects as well. If I order them not to ask questions, they'd better shut up."

Jared shook his head and followed Alexander silently. He realized that if he would push a little further, Alexander, already definitely not in a mood, might get into one of his rages. And he, Jared, was not Hephaistion after all. He wouldn't know how to handle him, let alone to pacify him. Hardly a few hours with Alexander, and he already experienced his sudden change in a spirits and he was sure that the unforeseen prolonged absence of Hephaistion would do nothing to stabilize them.

He was also rather surprised at the manner in which Alexander dealt with his friends so far. There was nothing of easy companionship or camaraderie that everybody presumed was accepted behavior in Alexander's close circle of friends. He behaved very much like a king who doesn't brook any opposition to his desires and opinions. "It was all supposed to happen much, much later," thought Jared in puzzlement, "or was it always like that? How many other myths about Alexander are going to be debunked during my stay?"

It was difficult as is to cope with the situation but if real Alexander was going to be so different from Alexander everybody was familiar with, how is he going to handle all that? Jared knitted his brows in concern. "At least his love for Hephaistion seems to be real. May be even more real than any of Hephaistion's best wishers could ever imagine. He dragged everybody through this desert just to receive the assurance from yet another god about the love of his life. Was his rough treatment of Delphic Pythia due to the same reason? In that case his famous phrase to Sisigambis wasn't that surprising at all. But then, how could he have said to him "You are nothing without me!" or it will be myself to whom he'll say that phrase, and then it makes a perfect sense."

When Alexander and Jared exited the cave, Leonnatus was already gone; the remaining people were pacing impatiently in the vicinity. One by one, Ptolemy, Perdiccas and Seleucus tried to come up to them and talk, but each time Alexander shook his head and nobody ventured to approach. Jared wasn't sure how to continue the conversation with Alexander, who, in his turn, silently sat at the entrance of the cave and drew some lines and signs on the sand.

Then Leonnatus and Black Kleitos came back with other people and all the things that Alexander requested. Everybody sprang to action. Tents were set up, things moved inside, somebody started a fire to prepare food. Alexander silently nodded to Jared to follow him inside the tent. It was not big and very simple, just two bedrolls by the sides of the tent with enough space between them to sit and have something to eat. Jared wished that Deirdre found him a flashlight instead of torch. Then his mind shifted to the other things he'd like to have with him right now, like his blackberry; that would resolve all the problems, why he didn't think to take it with him? He would probably receive one hell of the bill as a result but Alexander would share the expense with him, wouldn't he?

He was brought back from his reverie by Black Kleitos and Ptolemy who brought in oil lamp, some food and wine. They made a weak attempt to linger but Alexander just waved them away asking to close the flaps of the tent on their way out. He made a gesture to Jared to join in and the actor thought wise to oblige.

"I was thinking," said Alexander when they were done with food and started on wine. "Will you answer just one of my questions about the future in exchange for the idea how to get both Hephaistion and you back to your proper times?"

Jared looked with interest at Alexander. "You really thought of something? You are not toying with me?"

"No, I am not. I have a plan and I am going to implement it. Would you answer my question?"

"I need to know the question."

"Are you bargaining with me? Or you don't want to go home anymore?"

"I do want to go home. What's your question?"

"You don't want to hear my plan first? To consider whether it may work or not?"

"According to history, all your plans worked. Who am I to start doubting them now?"

"It seems that you are quite disappointed with me so far, with what you knew about me and what I really am," very evenly said Alexander, "are you still going to take your chances?"

"Yes, I am," replied Jared. "What's the question?"

"From the history that you know, are we going to be together till the very end, Hephaistion and I?"

"You are persistent," smiled Jared, "yes, you are going to be together till the very end."

"Are we to die together?"

"It is the second question, I promised to answer only one."

"No, it's the same question; you just didn't answer it till the end."

Jared glanced at Alexander. The king was sitting across him, looking at Jared with expectation and hope; his head slightly turned, one side closer to the fire of the lamp than the other. And then Jared saw it. He saw Alexander's eyes and realized that illuminated at the different angle by the fire his eyes indeed were of different colors, one more hazel and another more blue; but regardless of their color there was hope, and love, and fear for the only human being that mattered in his life.

Jared inwardly gasped. He didn't know whether to tell the hard truth or a more pleasant lie. He wanted to tell what Alexander wished to hear but at the same time he was afraid that by telling a lie he could destroy Hephaistion's and his chance of going back. What if indeed it was some weird test? He summoned all the courage he had and then said, "You are not going to die together but you are going to die within a very short period of time from each other. Less than a year."

Alexander was silent for a moment; then he closed his eyes and said, "It's good enough. I can live with that. Somehow."

"What's you plan then?" Jared hurried to ask, anxious to break from the unpleasant theme of conversation.

"It is very simple, actually," smiled Alexander. "I told you before that I was going to ask Oracle of Ammon whether Hephaistion and I are going to be together till the very death. You already answered that question. So, tomorrow, I am going to ask the Oracle how to get Hephaistion back."

"It is a very simple solution indeed," thoughtfully said Jared. "But even I know that those Oracles are impossible to decipher. Even if the Oracle provides you with some answer, how are we going to interpret it correctly?"

"I do have my way with Oracles and this one better find the way to accommodate me," very seriously said Alexander. And Jared suddenly believed him completely.


	4. Book of Siwah, Ch 4

Disclaimer # 1: I am fully aware that the movie with the same title exists (on DVD); this story was born out of that movie but took turn to AU where it will reside with no intention of coming into a conflict with the original creation.

Disclaimer # 2: This story is a pure fiction. I don't know the real people involved; everything they do and say in my story has nothing to do with the actual lives of those people.

A/N – Thank you everybody who let me know there opinions. I hope to read more comments in the future, it's important for me to know what you think of this story. I hope you'll enjoy the chapter below.

Siwah Oasis, 2006

Oliver was coming alone. Colin could see some people hanging behind him, but they kept their distance, probably Oliver warned them not to tag along.

"Here it comes," prepared himself Colin a moment before he heard the harsh voice of the director.

"So, it is how you decided to play it, right? Giving me an excuse of looking for Jared and instead hanging around with a girlfriend, or a boyfriend? Which one is this? Or both?"

"Please excuse me, Oliver," started Hephaistion, "but it's not what it looks like, we are doing our best to help Colin to find Jared."

"I don't appreciate when people whom I never meet before in my life suddenly start calling me by my first name. And all the extras are supposed to be on set, not hanging around the stars."

Hephaistion, while not being able to fully grasp the meaning of the phrase was quite capable of putting the appropriately humbled mien on his face.

"He can of course call you Mr. Stone," said Colin, "but I am afraid then you have to call him General, at least."

"General?" Olive and Hephaistion asked simultaneously.

"Yes," said Colin, "so, since I don't want to waste anyone's time, including mine, I am going to give you a gist of the situation. Curiosity and boredom made our dear friend Jared to go and investigate the caves," Colin made a wide gesture with his hand in the appropriate direction. "I don't know what drove our dear general to do the same but I am quite sure inborn curiosity is a trait they both share. The problem is of course that though they went into the same cave, they happened to do so twenty-three centuries apart. I am also afraid that there is a third party involved who out of the same boredom and curiosity decided to make them switch places sending Jared to the time of Alexander and Hephaistion to ours. How I am doing so far?"

"I would say it's pretty accurate," confirmed Hephaistion. "Though it's only our guess and hope that Jared ended up at Siwah when we visited it."

"I thought an on-site nurse gave you instructions to drink a lot of water, not alcohol," rather calmly stated Oliver. "I am not even going to respond to it. I see that today's shoot is not going to happen. Don't be surprised to discover that I gave instructions to deduct all the financial damages of this farce from your salaries."

"Mr. Stone," Hephaistion decided to give it another try, "I understand the situation is a bit unusual for you, though so far you are taking it far better than Colin and Deirdre, but believe me it's an absolute truth. At least as far as we can figure it out."

Oliver only shook his head and started to leave. Colin blocked his way. "I don't know how to prove it to you. I am not even done with accepting it myself. You are a director. You are a very famous, talented, resourceful let alone crazy, director. This situation should be a piece of cake for you. Work with us!"

"Work with you?" Oliver stared at the actor in disbelieve. "How far do you intend to take it, Colin? I am being really serious now. I don't know what it is with you and Jared, and I am not even going to press you into telling me. I don't care. All I care about is to finish this movie. You know for how long I wanted to tell the story of Alexander the Great and finally I got to do it but then nobody liked it in particular. I really can't explain why I hoped that another version would make it right. But I hoped. And I thought that you were on my side. Instead, Jared decided to go AWOL because he was bored and you decided to make a fool of me. So, go ahead, finish what you started, but leave me alone," and he angrily tried to push past Colin.

"I am just a production assistant and not a costume supervisor," started Deirdre, "but I am still a woman and know something about clothes; there is no way those two made from the same material and with the same tools," and she tagged at the both men tunics.

"How exactly did you get involved into all this nonsense?" testily asked Oliver.

"I am afraid that I am far more to blame that you can imagine," answered Deirdre. "Jared asked me to find a flashlight to go into the cave, but I couldn't, so I brought him a torch from yesterday scene. When Jared didn't come by the time you were ready to resume the shoot I got worried and called Colin. I came back hoping Jared would return but instead Hephaistion came out of the cave. Then Colin joined us and we tried to figure out what's going on. I think we all agreed on what have happened but we have no idea how or what to do to switch them back. Luckily, you came, so now may be four of us can come up with some smart ideas."

"And what storyline are you coming with?" Oliver asked Hephaistion.

"I think you should find a way to finish what you intended to do today without Jared, and then we reconvene and try to figure out what to do. I feel pretty safe here but if you want your Jared back alive you'd better think of the ways of doing that instead of competing in throwing tantrums."

"Right, that's a great idea," very enthusiastically agreed Colin. "We shouldn't draw any more attention to the situation. We'll say that Jared had to leave due to some unexpected emergency; I bet everyone will just assume that it has something to do with his band. Oliver, you can even afford to continue to be angry, that would be anyway your natural reaction, and I am also pissed off because Jared left and abandoned me to deal with the consequences. In the meantime Deirdre is going to introduce Hephaistion to the XXI-st century and we meet again after the shoot. Hephaistion, does Alexander steal your brilliant ideas all the time the same way I just stole yours and pass them as his own?"

Oliver opened his mouth to say something but Hephaistion interrupted. "Mr. Stone, you don't have to believe a word of what we are saying, just act as if you do. Can you suggest any corrections to Colin's plan?"

"I have no problems with acting extremely angry because I am. Angry doesn't even start to describe it. However," and wicked smile suddenly spread all over his face, "I am going to introduce some corrections to the rest of the plan. Colin, after you left the set under the pretext of looking for Jared, your fellow actors joked that while Mr. Leto was frolicking in the caves with Deirdre, you went to meet with your secret girlfriend whom you unknown to all the others flew from Ireland. So, a girlfriend will become a boyfriend," and Oliver nodded in Hephaistion direction. "I am going to promote Deirdre here from production assistant to my personal assistant so that she can run errands between us."

"No way," Colin shook his head.

"Why?" very innocently asked Oliver, "I am sure Deirdre can handle it."

"I am not talking about Deirdre. I am talking about presenting Hephaistion as my boyfriend."

"Why? Do you think he is less cute than Jared?" Oliver eyed Colin with challenge.

"I think you are spending your creative ideas on the wrong topic," cut in Hephaistion, "you don't have to present me as anybody, let the rest of your people come up with their own ideas and then you choose the best one."

"I'll probably agree to believe that you are Hephaistion in truth," admiringly said Oliver. "I hope that Jared can be as inventive and not going to screw up the rest of Alexander's campaign in your absence. In the meantime, let's indeed leave it to the rest of the cast to come up with explanation of who Hephaistion is. We just have to think of some other name for you. Maybe something Greek. How about Laertes?"

"Fine with me," agreed Hephaistion.

"Ok, here is the plan, then. Deirdre, come with me. You'll need to know what's going on and then update Hephaistion. Colin, take your boyfriend…."

"Oliver, please…."

"All right; Alexander, take your boyfriend to your 'royal tent' and show him the achievements of the modern technologies. You have some half an hour. Then come back. In the meantime I'll try to figure out how to save today's shoot."

Oliver took Deirdre under the elbow guiding her in the direction of the set. Colin frowned. Noticing that, Hephaistion asked, "Do you think it was too easy?"

"I don't know what to think. I don't know what to think about any of it. I want to do something 24/7 and exhaust myself physically so that I have an excuse of dropping dead tired and don't have to deal with this mess!"

"And who is going to deal with this mess?"

"You and Jared."

"Because?"

"Because both of you had to satisfy your damn curiosity and go into that cave! What exactly were you missing in your life? Jared jumps like crazy all over the world between his acting and music careers, you get to be educated by Aristotle himself and have Alexander the Great for your king, lover and soulmate. You both look so gorgeous that Apollo would appear like Quasimodo compared to you. What was your plan exactly? To take over Odysseus' relay race of crazy adventures and got yourself and those around you into all sorts of trouble and then just relax and watch others to struggle and die out one by one?"

"You were a good choice for Alexander," benevolently said Hephaistion, "you are doing a great job of acting his rages. Now do me a favor and…" Hephaistion saw Colin charging madly at him but was faster in his counterattack. He grabbed Colin's right arm, gyrated him in a split of a second and pushed towards himself, pressing his left arm so that Colin couldn't move. Then he whispered very quietly into his ear, "Alexander is not a match for me in this field and I don't think that you are either. So, before we start to attract too much attention, why don't we follow Oliver's advice and go into your tent where we can work out some peaceful solution to this situation? Now, promise to behave and I let you go."

"I can't breath," mumbled Colin trying to wriggle out of Hephaistion's iron embrace.

"That's the point." Hephaistion loosened his grip and lightly pushed Colin away. "Friends?"

"Yes, friends," answered Colin rather gloomily. "Let's go."

"Do you think Oliver believed us?" asked Hephaistion as if nothing happened. "Will he help us out?"

"Oh, so you are not interested to know whether I and Deirdre believed you? Or you took it for granted? How many things do you take for granted in your life, Hephaistion, son of Amyntor? Do you take Alexander's love for granted as well?" Colin felt very bitter. Somewhere in the back of his mind he realized that neither Hephaistion nor Jared can be blamed for the situation but he had to direct his frustration at somebody. Jared wasn't there to bear any portion of it so it left Hephaistion to absorb all the rage that Colin felt.

And why suddenly this resentment? Literally only moments ago he was quite enjoying himself describing the situation to Oliver. Before that he was in awe of his own luck when he decided to believe that the guy before him was Hephaistion indeed. Was it because he realized that he has no control of the situation? But it was Jared who was a control freak, not him. He was a very easygoing guy, his friends and family loved him, the audience adored him and after bestowing on him the title of Hollywood's bad boy was ready to forgive him any crazy behavior. Was it Hephaistion who unexpectedly got under his skin with his oh, so level conduct, unshakable confidence, bright ideas and superior physic? Was it why he got under everybody else's skin in his own time? Because everybody felt so inadequate in his presence? Including Alexander? Did Alexander want to be declared a god because he felt like in the presence of one already? Was it why he eventually took Bagoas as a lover? Because Hephaistion was too perfect? Even for Alexander?"

"Where did you thoughts lead you?" asked Hephaistion after allowing Colin some time to himself. "Anything you want to share?"

"Maybe, but not now," said Colin. "We actually already came to my "royal tent" as Oliver put it. Only it's called a trailer. This is mine and I don't have to share it with anybody. Though I can make an exception for Hephaistion, of course," and Colin gave him a lopsided smile.

They both stepped inside. To take his mind from the disturbing thoughts, Colin started to explain things to Hephaistion and show how some of them work. Then, deciding that the best way to handle the situation is to get out of Hephaistion's way and go to do an easier task of acting Alexander part, he moved to the door ready to bolt out.

"I will send Deirdre here to keep you a company," promised Colin. "Sorry, I don't have a copy of Iliad under my pillow though I was thinking about doing it back when we shot original Alexander. Hey, do you want to see how Jared looks like? You can also read about him. Come, I will show you."

Colin went back inside the trailer and opened his laptop. He started to explain, "This is called computer. Don't ask me how it works, the main thing to know what it can do. Well, a lot of things, but mainly it's good for looking for all sort of information. There is this thing that called "search engine"; there are a number of good ones but let's not to complicate things and stick to Google." Colin did his best to explain the keyboard and internet to Hephaistion. Then he typed "Jared Leto" into the search line and clicked on the imdb link. "See, isn't he something?" Colin even found it in himself to smile. "Actually, things are not that bad," he was ready to admit to himself. "I am going to hang out with this exceptional dude and leave Jared to deal with Alexander." He smiled more broadly. "OK, I think it should entertain you for a long time. I have to go back to the set."

"Sure thing," said Hephaistion, "and if I want to research you after Jared, what I have to do?"

"Oh, just hit Back button, or go to Google again, and type my name here, like that," and Colin demonstrated to Hephaistion what he had to do.

"Well, you'd better go now," said Hephaistion pleasantly. "Lot's of things to do today."

Colin exited his trailer in a far better mood that he stepped in and jogged in the set direction.

Hephaistion sat quietly before the screen for some moments. Then he closed his eyes and silently sent prayer to the gods. He exhaled and opened his eyes. Then he resolutely hit backspace button, erased Colin's name and typed "Alexander the Great" instead.


	5. Book of Siwah, Ch 5

Disclaimer # 1: I am fully aware that the movie with the same title exists (on DVD); this story was born out of that movie but took a turn to AU where it will reside with no intention of coming into a conflict with the original creation.

Disclaimer # 2: This story is a pure fiction. I don't know the real people involved; everything they do and say in my story has nothing to do with the actual lives of those people.

A/N - Thank you, my wonderful friends, who read and commented on the chapters that I already posted. I hope that you continue to do so in future. It would be also wonderful to hear the thoughts of those who read the story but didn't voice their opinion yet. Thank you all!

Siwah Oasis, 331 BC

Jared watched as Alexander disappeared together with a priest inside the temple.

He was now on his own. He looked with a certain degree of apprehension at Alexander's friends who were around him. Around him and all looking at him. Jared tried to read their facial expressions.

He could see curiosity in Perdiccas' look, there was some expectation in Leonnatus', Ptolemy, for whatever reason, seemed really depressed, Seleucus and Nearchus quietly talked about something; there was some sort of calculation in Black Kleitos eyes and Krateros looked indifferent while Philotas stared at him with challenge and disdain at the same time.

"I guess I am not going to miss Cassander," thought Jared. "This one seems to be as obnoxious. Oh, well, let's see who is going to prove more mean, Philotas or Perez Hilton."

"So, you are Hephaistion's substitute," started Philotas. He was lazily leaning against the wall, deliberately slow appraising Jared from top to toe. "With those looks, no wonder that Alexander picked you up. Though I cannot see what you have to offer except for those blue eyes. You can't even ride a horse properly. But then again, Hephaistion by now got used to the games Alexander plays with him at night, you seem quite a novice, were you still a virgin?"

"Philotas, Alexander won't be happy when he hears about it," Leonnatus went to Jared defense. "For whatever reason he is here, it's not for you to judge let alone to insult."

Philotas only smirked and continued to stare at Jared, despising smile not leaving his face. Jared flicked his eyes from one companion to another beseechingly looking for some sort of support, then bit his lower lip, took a couple of uncertain steps to cover the distance between himself and Philotas and in a voice quivering with fear said, "all I want is to be a friend."

Philotas had only a brief moment to sneer at Jared's groveling voice and countenance and then wailed in antagonizing pain when actor's hand roughly grabbed and squeezed his balls.

"Next time I suggest you give more thought to what you say," very coldly stated Jared, "it even may save your life in future, because if you don't – the day will come when the pain you feel now will be nothing compared to the torture that Hephaistion will apply to you."

Jared released his opponent and not giving him or anybody else a second look turned in the direction of the exit. There was silence behind him followed first by an appreciative whistle and then wholehearted laugh. Somebody run to catch up with him and then he heard Black Cleitos' low voice, "For a moment you got me worried. I completely believed that frightened look on your face. I thought you would let Philotas to humiliate you and wait for Alexander to come to your defense."

"Are you saying that it's what Hephaistion does?" Jared voice was still rather hard and unpleasant.

"Hades, no," chuckled Cleitos, "it is long time since anybody dared to say anything rude to Hephaistion. When they were still boys, there were some jokes but everybody learned quite quickly not to offend him in person. Though behind his back, yeah, for sure, there is all kind of talk, not very pleasant sometimes. I am not sure how well you know each other but he has quite a temper and more than capable to defend himself both with his weapons and with his words. And nobody wants to cross either with him. Sometimes not even Alexander."

"So, what's Philotas' problem?"

"Oh, he has a few. He is not known for his pleasant character either. He is more than capable on a battlefield but as you already noticed his tongue is not connected to his brain. One time he started to berate his own father in front of everybody for something that he thought Parmenion did wrong during the battle. Alexander had to interfere. But I have to admit that there is one thing that Philotas was right about."

"What is that?" asked Jared.

"You are not a good rider."

"Oh?"

"Look, I am not suggesting that it's for a reason that Philotas was implicating, but the fact remains. I guess you didn't have a lot of experience. You can use some sound advice. You don't look like a seasoned warrior either."

"That's right, because I am not. That's simply not the reason why I am here. However, I never rejected a good advice. I don't know how long I am going to stay with Alexander and though I am not worried about my lack of fighting skills, because I doubt I am ever be able to be good enough to fight at your side, I don't feel avert to improve my riding ones."

"Very well, then. I will have to clear it with Alexander and then in the evening we can go for a ride."

"You have to clear it with Alexander?" Jared frowned. "Why?"

"Well," matter-of-factly replied Cleitos, "You are his guest and he seems rather fond of your company. In Hephaistion's absence, I wouldn't want to upset him. He is edgy, and besides, what's wrong with asking king's approval? It is only proper. Do you think he cuts me any slack because my sister was his nurse?"

"Not because of that. You saved his life at Granicus."

"So what, it is my duty to protect the king. As long as I am able to do so, that's what I am going to do," there was absolutely no hesitancy in Cleitos' voice.

"It sucks to know the future," grimly thought Jared. "Let's hope I won't say anything stupid. Not to Alexander, not to Cleitos, not to any of them." He and Cleitos were standing outside the temple watching the rest of the companions to approach. Jared noticed with satisfaction that Philotas wasn't among them.

"Well, that was a nice touch," smiled Leonnatus. Everybody started to laugh again. Leonnatus, realizing what he just said, corrected himself with a sly smile, "Not from Philotas' dick point of view, of course."

The phrase brought another round of merriment. "It's good to know that you can stand for yourself," said Perdiccas, "though you used a very creative approach to the problem. It will teach others a lesson."

"Others?" Jared made sure to tint his question with more gall than apprehension.

"Oh, yes," quite good naturedly said Perdiccas, "you have to realize that with your looks people would always assume that it's all that gods gave you. Who needs any other talents? Hephaistion is, of course, an exception, but, please don't get offended when I say that you are not Hephaistion."

"No, I am not," smiled Jared.

"So, do you have any plans while Alexander consulting the oracle?" asked Seleucus.

"Ah, I don't know, do you have anything in mind?"

"The couple of us were planning of going to that small but fancy market that Hephaistion discovered the day before yesterday. It's not far from the lake and there are a lot of shady palm trees. I was thinking of buying some nice trinket for the girl I know. Care to join us?"

"Sure thing," said Jared, very vividly recollecting his exploration of Morocco bazaar. "Lead the way."

"Eh, guys," said Ptolemy, "I will head back to my quarters. I don't feel well. I better have some sleep before we reconvene later in the evening," and without waiting for anybody's response he sped away.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Jared, "from the moment I met him first yesterday, he seems quite unhappy."

"Ptolemy never struck me as a very superstitious person," shrugged Leonnatus, "but that old hag really got to him."

"What old hag?" inquired Jared.

"That old crone, we met her on the streets of Memphis," explained Perdiccas, "for whatever reason Ptolemy felt a pity for her and gave her some small coins. Instead of thanking him she told him that he would die in Egypt. Ptolemy got really upset and since then he can't wait to leave this land. For myself, I will think twice next time when I feel the urge to give to the poor."

Jared opened his mouth to comment but then decided against it. "Let's go to the souk then," he said instead.

They visited some stalls together and even bought some knickknacks. Apparently, the urge to bring souvenirs from other countries wasn't anything new. One by one, Alexander's companions slid away under one excuse or another, leaving Jared and Perdiccas alone.

Jared really wanted to find a ring that would resemble the one that he, as Hephaistion, gave to Alexander played by Colin, on his wedding night. "If I ever get back, it will be a cool present to give to Colin." But he had no such luck. In the end he realized that he was the only one who didn't buy anything. "May be it's a sign that I will never go back," gloomily thought Jared, "or may be I can't bring anything back." His not so happy thoughts were interrupted by Perdiccas.

"Look, that's the same peddler Hephaistion bought his magic bracelet from. If you like bracelets, may be he'll find something similar for you too."

"What do you mean by 'magic bracelet'?" Jared asked with alarm.

Perdiccas started to explain, "We stopped at this stall by chance. The seller had absolutely nothing interesting to offer, just some cheep bracelets, children toys and stupid necklaces made from the date seeds. We were about to leave when the desperate guy pulled on us the oldest trick in a book. He said that he has something very special for such special buyers as us. He produced a box and inside there were small black stones, not strung together or anything. The guy emptied the box on his table. The stones were smoothly polished and absolutely black with nice shine to them. I was interested for a moment, played with some and then lost interest. I couldn't think of any use. We almost turned away but the merchant was desperate. He grabbed Hephaistion's wrist saying that he felt a special connection between those stones and him; that Hephaistion's eyes were as black and magic as those stones.

Well, Hephaistion heard all sort of things about those black olive eyes of his, including them being the magic tears of Nix, goddess of Night herself. He just shook his head and tried politely to break open vendor's grip. He, of course, managed to do that, but at the same moment the stones connected together and formed a nice bracelet around Hephaistion's wrist. Vendor happily jumped, clapped his hands, saying that he was right about Hephaistion's magic powers. He urged him to touch the stones again. Hephaistion did and all the stones disconnected and fell back to the table. Hephaistion touched them again, and they formed a bracelet around his wrist one more time. Surprisingly, despite the obvious trickery, my friend liked the bracelet. He paid the vendor and we went away. He said that he was going to pull the same trick on Alexander."

"Did you try the trick?" asked Jared.

"Yes," smiled Perdiccas, "But it didn't work on me."

"You came for my magic stones," toothlessly smiled vendor when Jared and Perdiccas approached him.

"Yes," confirmed Perdiccas, "do you have stones to match his eyes?"

"I only have black stones," with some disappointment said the vendor, "but those blue eyes are also magical and my stones will connect with them too." He produced the box and spilled another set of stones on the cloth. They were very well polished, beautifully black with miniscule golden specks invitingly shining from inside.

"Why nobody says those nice things about my eyes?" with fake indignation asked Perdiccas. He touched the stones. Nothing happened.

"Now, mister Magical Eyes, it's your turn," chuckled Perdiccas. Jared touched the stones. Beautiful black bracelet immediately graced his wrist.

"That's not fair!" continuing to play along exclaimed Perdiccas.

"Of course not," laughed Jared. "Especially considering the fact that it's you who is going to pay the vendor."

"Oh, well," agreed Perdiccas and paid, "you owe me a big deal."

"You have no idea, my friend, you have no idea."

"What were you doing there for so long?" asked Leonnatus when he met Jared and Perdiccas returning from the market. "Alexander is looking for Laertes everywhere and he is really upset and worried. You have to hurry."

When Jared entered Alexander's chambers, the king was pacing nervously back and forth.

"Where have you been?" angrily asked Alexander. "You had me to look for you everywhere. Do you think I have nothing better to do? To search for you now?"

"I am sorry, Alexander," sincerely said Jared, "I didn't want to get you upset. We went to the market. Just to spend time and have some fun."

"At Philotas' expense?"

"He was asking for it."

"Make no mistake, Jared, he is a very valuable commander in my army."

"I know that quite well, Alexander. I also know that given the chance and the proper motivation, those companions of yours, who befriended me so eagerly earlier today, would not only turn their backs on me but put a couple of knives in my own back as well. I have no illusions, my king, none whatsoever."

Alexander eyed Jared gloomily. "It's good to know that you can take care of yourself and that you are not going to daydream about unbreakable bonds of friendship. I hope you will survive long enough, I can use your company." Alexander turned away.

Jared didn't like at all where that conversation was going. He went around the king and asked him with some apprehension, "What did the Oracle tell you?"

Alexander didn't answer. He just shook his head and turned away again.

"Alexander, this won't help. Regardless of what the Oracle said, I have to hear it. If it's not good, we have to decide what to do further."

"There is nothing to decide," dismally answered Alexander. "You are staying. So, get used to Philotas, and befriend those companions of mine as well as you can. I also advise you not to miss a chance to get properly trained by Black Cleitos. It might help you to survive even better."

"What do you mean, I am staying?" asked Jared in disbelieve and dismay. "What did the Oracle say?"

"The Oracle said there was nothing anybody could do. The Oracle said we had reached the point of no return. There is no going back."

"I can't believe it. I simply refuse to believe. The Oracle either lied or interpreted the words of the god incorrectly."

"I thought you didn't believe in gods."

"I thought you didn't take "no" for an answer."

They stared at each other apprehensively. "May be Hephaistion will think of something," suggested Alexander at last.

"He'd better," said Jared. "Taking into account that it was him who got us into this mess anyway."

"I thought it was both of you," commented Alexander. "Don't accuse a man when he can't defend himself."

"I am not accusing him. He probably didn't even realize it. He maybe still doesn't even know it."

"What are you talking about?" asked Alexander.

"Ever saw this before?" asked Jared and brought his braceletted wrist to the Alexander's eyes.

"Yes," Alexander frowned. "Hephaistion showed it to me a few days ago. I saw it on his wrist the morning he disappeared. I didn't realize he left it behind."

"He didn't." Jared shook his head. "I just bought this one in the market. Did he show you how does it work?"

"Yes. You touch it and stones fall apart. You touch them again and they form a bracelet on your wrist. Nice trick."

"Did you try it? Did the trick work on you?"

Alexander motioned his head in a 'no' answer. "I was about to, but I got distracted."

"Got distracted? What do you mean? Somebody interrupted? What was it? Music too loud? Dancers too naked? Wine too good?"

"Don't be ridiculous! Hephaistion and I were alone. It was Hephaistion who distracted me. There were other parts of his body and other jewels that appealed to me more at the moment."

"Oh, I see." calmly said Jared. "I am not going to distract you in that way. So go ahead and touch the bracelet."

Alexander did as he was asked but nothing happened. "This one doesn't work," he surmised.

"Oh, that's where you are wrong. Look here." Jared went to the table and put his braceletted hand on it. With his other hand he touched the bracelet and the stones fell apart.

"What the Hades?" frowned Alexander. "Do it again." Jared touched the stones and bracelet went around Hephaistion wrist again. They repeated it several times. Each time it worked for Jared and never for Alexander.

"May be it works only on the person who touches it first?" suggested Alexander.

"No, Perdiccas touched the stones first. It didn't work on him."

"So, what are you saying?"

"Maybe it works only on some people? People who possess some special gene or whatever. Maybe it was designed in future for time travel. Just not for everybody's use."

"What's a gene?"

"Something that make one person different from another. Well, not exactly, but for the purpose of this conversation, it's the best I can put it."

"So, if it's from the future, how did it get to our time?" asked Alexander.

"I don't know. Perhaps somebody brought those stones here and then lost them. Or left some behind on purpose."

"Well, that explains how Hephaistion got to your time. But how did you get here? You said that you just bought this bracelet. Besides, what are the chances that it was Hephaistion and you, the actor who played Hephaistion, who switched places?"

"I agree. It can't be a coincidence. Somebody arranged it very neatly. Maybe people from the future. Maybe gods from the past. Sucks anyway. I hate to be a guinea-pig."

"Well, whoever arranged that will have to disarrange it back," very resolutely said Alexander. "You will go back inside the cave and wait there. Hopefully, by now Hephaistion figured the same. Somebody was prone to ask him about the bracelet. I know Hephaistion, he would come to the same conclusion. The trick is now to get both of you to the cave at the same time. But I don't think we'll have to wait long."

"Why?"

"I told Hephaistion we would leave Siwah the day after I spoke to the Oracle. That will be tomorrow. I am sure he remembers that."

"I am sure he does," pensively responded Jared.

Alexander misinterpreted his tone. "Look, Jared, don't be offended. I am happy to have you here. I really like you. But you know what Hephaistion means to me. I need to have him back. I won't survive long without him. I…"

"You really don't have to explain it to me, Alexander," sincerely said Jared. "It was fun while it lasted. I will miss you a lot. Your friends too. Pity, I didn't have a chance to meet Hephaistion himself. I would really like the opportunity but I guess it's something for Colin to treasure as a memory."


	6. Book of Siwah, Ch 6

Disclaimer # 1: I am fully aware that the movie with the same title exists (on DVD); this story was born out of that movie but took turn to AU where it will reside with no intention of coming into a conflict with the original creation.

Disclaimer # 2: This story is a pure fiction. I don't know the real people involved; everything they do and say in my story has nothing to do with the actual lives of those people.

A/N - Thank you, my wonderful friends, who read and commented on the chapters that I already posted. I hope that you continue to do so in future. It would be also wonderful to hear the thoughts of those who read the story but didn't voice their opinion yet. Thank you all!

Siwah Oasis, 2006

Though Colin was approaching the set in a far better mood that he approached his trailer,

he still felt very much not quite himself. The situation was, simply put, unbelievable and he wasn't sure if it was a right decision not to involve more people.

"Not quite Area 51," he thought, "but then again, people can easier accept aliens than real persons from our own past. And not just any real person. Hephaistion. Suddenly appearing at the set of "Alexander". No way anybody is going to take it seriously. At best, they say Oliver ran out of money or ideas how to improve his movie and invented this cheap gimmick. What proof can we present, actually? Clothes made 23 centuries ago? Take analysis of his hair or blood and confirm that it's not the composition that modern humans have, not poisoned by chemicals and other garbage? It actually may be good evidence but how does it going to help bringing Jared back? Suppose, scientists can confirm that it is not a "modern" man and then accepting the fact that he is Hephaistion and not somebody else may be easier, but it will take ages, and then governments, all the special agencies in the world get involved, and then a lot of counties start to argue to whom he belongs, oh, no, no, no, the bureaucracy will annihilate any chance of resolving this situation quickly, or even resolving it at all. No, we better stick to our small group and figure it out somehow.

Thinking this way, he almost stumbled upon Gary, Rory, Joseph and Denis, still in their costumes but sitting comfortably in a shade and watching the developments on the set.

"Kleitos, Krateros, Philotas and Nearchus, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to get yourself ready?"

"Oh mighty Alexander," started Gary, "even more mighty Zeus decided to send us to Gedrosian desert instead of Siwah Oasis. Since by that time you already killed me in a drunken rage, ordered Philotas' execution on a very shaky grounds, sent Nearchus on a dangerous voyage in the Arabian Sea or whatever it was called at that time, and commanded your best general Krateros to take a different route just to avoid a possible confrontation with your easily offended beloved, we are not currently required in those takes. However, as a mere mortal, let alone a dead one, I am incapable of perceiving the purpose of this divine scheme of substituting one desert with another since our precious Hephaistion is still missing."

"Very funny," Colin chuckled and shook his head, "Are we doing water in a helmet scene?"

"Yes, YOU are," confirmed Josef, "I guess Oliver wants everybody to think that while Alexander in a very magnanimous gesture poured that stinking water back into the sand, his second half in no less magnanimous gesture went to search for Bagoas who was left for dead somewhere behind. So, what's up with Jared?"

"Nothing up with Jared, but I have to hurry and set yet another example of fortitude before my Army, so see you around," and Colin cheerfully waved to his friends and moved on.

"Do you think he is really in that good mood or faking it?" asked Denis.

"I don't know but I am sure something is going on," said Rory, "Jared went to some caves because he was bored, OK, I can buy it, but then, when we were all ready to shoot, Colin just bolted out from the set, I have no idea why, then…."

"Oh, didn't you see that Deirdre girl waiting for him?" asked Gary, "they talked and then she left, Colin went inside and left almost right away. I bet she told him something about Jared, after all, Jay told us himself that Deirdre was going to fetch him lights or whatever. I'm sure something went wrong and she looked for Colin to fix it. Then Oliver got all mad and crazy and went himself in search of his stars that pulled a disappearing trick on him. Then he returned back with that Deirdre, announcing her being appointed his new personal assistant and canceling the scene that everybody tried to arrange since morning. Of course something is going on!

"You think Jared got injured in the caves?" suggested Joseph.

"No," pensively reflected Denis. "If something like that would really happen, medics will be running around, and I don't see any reason why Oliver or Colin just plainly won't say so."

"May be Oliver forgot to arrange for insurance?" uncertainly suggested Joseph.

"It's a joke, right? Nobody will even allow us on a bloody plane without that goddamned insurance. Something else is going on. Since we have nothing better to do, how about we go and check the trailer which I conveniently share with Jared?" suggested Gary.

"Good idea, let's go," said Denis and all four moved in that direction. They walked for a while tossing to each other ideas of what was going on but none of them seemed capable to explain the current situation logically. They were passing Colin's trailer when Rory noticed somebody inside.

"What's the hell?" he pointed with his chin in the direction of the window, "do you think somebody broke in or Colin has a visitor whom he's hiding in the trailer?"

"May be it's Jared?" suggested Joseph.

"I didn't get a good look, let's go and check," and Rory moved in the direction of trailer with others following close by.

Hephaistion heard a knock on the door and paused in his reading. He thought it might be Deirdre, but when he heard second and third knocks and realized that Deirdre would say it was she. He contemplated whether to answer or not and then he heard a male voice saying, "Look, we know somebody is inside, you'd better open or we'll call security."

Hephaistion reluctantly stood up and went to the door. He opened it, rather slowly, and said, "And when the security comes here, you say what?"

All four men stared at Hephaistion in half surprise half awe.

"Who are you?" uncertainly asked Joseph.

"My name is Laertes. I think I saw you guys somewhere before," Hephaistion figured out that since the men in front of him were dressed as Macedonians, they also were actors from this movie and therefore quite possibly known on the set.

"Well, granted, we are not as well known as Colin Farrell…"

"Please, don't be offended," friendly suggested Hephaistion, "I am not a big movie fan, and saw "Alexander" only one time, and I know little about Alexander himself, let alone his friends, you are playing his friends, right?"

"Friends, right," sarcastically said Joseph, "he had only one friend, Hephaistion, who according to the sources, tortured me so severely that Inquisition would love to have him as their chief investigator. My name is Joseph, I play Philotas."

"Oh," said Hephaistion, "sorry to hear that, but as I remember, you did some nasty things to Alexander, well, your character did, what was that, exactly?"

"Philotas didn't report a conspiracy against Alexander's life, or so it was rumored," shrugged his shoulders Denis, "I play Nearchus and my name is Denis, this is Rory, he plays Krateros and this is Gary, he plays Black Cleitos. Do those names ring any bells?"

"Sort of," smiled Hephaistion, "so, what are you doing here? Oliver was fuming about actors sauntering around."

"Oliver changed the scene, he doesn't need us now," explained Gary, "Who are you exactly and what are you doing in Colin's trailer, all dressed up as one of us?"

"Well, I am a friend of Colin, he wanted to practice some scenes and told me it would be better if I put this on," and Hephaistion pointed to his tunic.

"Practice some scenes?" genially surprised asked Rory, "he was with us since the morning, what kind of scenes exactly did you practice? Those between Alexander and Hephaistion that didn't make it to the big screen? No wonder Jared got offended and disappeared!"

"There is absolutely no reason for Jared to be jealous of me, whereas I am quite apprehensive of how is he currently spending his time with the certain blond I am very fond of…"

"Oh, Jared and his infatuation with blonds," laughed Gary, "it wasn't a wise decision from you side. So, where is exactly Jared now?"

"I don't know exactly where," explained Hephaistion, "but he and Oliver came up with this plan, don't ask me, I have no idea what's it about, and now I am stuck with Colin."

"I don't understand," said Joseph, "there is so much going on, and we apparently not important enough to be privy to these dealings. And you know what, I don't care anymore. As long as I am paid and even not required to be much under this killer sun, why should I even bother? I don't know about you guys, but I am going back to the trailer to get some rest."

Hephaistion watched as a disappointed actor went away, "I bet nobody knows how good a choice he was for Philotas – always not happy, complaining about the things and wanting to be included in everything. Well, let's see what the rest of them can show for themselves."

"Well, guys, did I satisfy your curiosity enough and can go back to my business?" he asked.

"What is that business exactly?" suspiciously inquired Gary.

"My business," very pleasantly answered Hephaistion; he let a tiny smile play on his lips but gave Gary a glance that didn't inspire further questions.

The actor nervously turned his eyes away. This stranger had an odd effect on him. He was almost sure that this was the same reason why Joseph bolted away and his other friends mumbled their questions as kindergarten children. He himself has never felt any interest towards guys but this one's presence was too unsettling. May be this is how Colin decided to protect himself, find a bodyguard so beautiful that anybody around him will be lost for words and action. Former boxer and a model, Gary instinctively appreciated the superb physic of Colin's guest and his astonishing facial features sent shivers all through Gary's body. He was quite certain that the rest felt the same.

"Oh, well, we just were passing by," Gary nervously shook his head several times trying to dispel the image, "see you around."

"Nice to meet you, people," charmingly said Hephaistion and shut the door.

"Who the fuck is he really?" almost angry asked Denis. "Did you buy his story?"

"Which one?" with certain degree of bitterness asked Gary, "there are so many stories going around, I am getting lost and loosing my interest at the same time."

"Oh, I thought it was Joseph's line," teased Denis. "This Laertes, he made you uncomfortable, didn't he?"

Gary decided not to answer. "Com'on, don't be shy," persisted Denis, "there is nothing wrong with acknowledging someone's beauty."

"I don't really care."

"You don't have to care, just say it."

"OK, the guy is gorgeous. I can tell you that he is also a superb athlete and I wouldn't like to negotiate against him anything. How come we never heard about him before? Friend of Colin? Sounds like he knows Jared as well. And Oliver."

"What are you saying?"

"I don't know. But I see somebody who is going to answer our questions."

Denis turned around and saw Deirdre coming in their direction. Gary resolutely moved forward with a firm intention to question this newly appointed Oliver's personal assistant when he realized that she was going to Colin's trailer. He watched silently as the door opened and dark beauty stepped out inviting Deirdre inside. Gary pressed his lips in frustration. He watched powerlessly as Hephaistion slowly turned head in his direction and gave him condescending nod. "Why I have such a strong desire to punch him in the face?" desperately thought Gary as he turned away.

Hephaistion was going to return to his reading when he saw Deirdre through the window. He hesitated for a moment, uncertain as to what to do with the computer; he didn't want anybody to know that he was reading about Alexander. He remembered Colin's advice, put Google website into the address line and typed Jared's name; then he turned laptop around so that Deirdre won't pay attention to the screen and ruffled the bed coverings as if he was resting. When she knocked at the door, he opened it and invited her inside.

"You're nodding to those guys as if you already know them," with concern started Deirdre.

"Yeah, they dropped by," smiled Hephaistion. "Something about Oliver changing the scene and they're not needed in it. I hope they are better actors in the movie than they are in life."

"Why, what happened?" asked Deirdre as she was arranging food on the table.

"I think they didn't like my presence here and were not very good at hiding it. Besides, they wanted to know what I am doing in Colin's trailer wearing these clothes."

"What did you tell them?"

Hephaistion shrugged his shoulders. "I wasn't much sure what kind of response won't make them too suspicious. I told them that we were practicing some scenes for the movie. For whatever reason they assumed that those scenes were in bed and Jared must be jealous. Are Colin and Jared indeed more than fellow actors?"

"Oh, no," smiled Deirdre. "As a matter of fact both of them are quite notorious for their frequent conquests of beautiful and famous females."

"Yes," laughed Hephaistion, "I was promptly informed that Jared prefers blonds."

"I don't know if he actually prefers blonds, or just happen to date them," nonchalantly commented Deirdre, "but anyway, there were a lot of rumors when we shoot the original Alexander movie that Colin and Jared became more than just friends; first, only in order to get into their characters, and then, just because. None of that is true, I think. They are really simply friends; I am not even sure how close they are. But you know, when we now came to Siwah, those rumors surfaced again, but it's more to tease than actually to imply the fact. Besides, they became Alexander and Hephaistion again, so it's only natural. But you and Alexander, you are more than close friends, right?"

"Why do you want to know?" Hephaistion grinned.

Deirdre sighed and gestured to Hephaistion in the direction of the small table to join her in eating. "I guess the simple truth is that I just want to know. People always want to know about the personal lives of celebrities. I am sure that Colin and Oliver have the same question in mind. And, if anybody discovers who you really are, there will be a very long line of people fighting each other to ask the same question."

Hephaistion shook his head. "Surely, if my true identity is revealed, there are more important questions to ask."

"Surely," chuckled Deirdre, "but this one has a long history of being in a centre of heated arguments and controversy. Very few people doubt that you were his real soulmate but many say that you were only very close friends and never lovers, one of their main arguments being that nobody wrote explicitly that you were. And then there is a very famous case of Greek lawyers who threatened to sue Oliver if he would dare to present Alexander as being a homosexual."

"Demosthenes would be proud."

"Yes," laughed Deirdre, "but Oliver couldn't tell them that. Not politically correct."

"So, what did Oliver do?"

"There are no explicit sex scenes between you and Alexander. Not even a kiss."

"Not even a kiss?" charmingly pouted Hephaistion.

"No. And because of that he was accused of chickening out and folding under the pressure."

"Of course," nodded Hephaistion, "you never can please opposite camps. You either anger one of them or disappoint both.

"Alexander never cared what other people say. He did what he wanted to do, isn't it so?"

"Alexander is a king, Deirdre. He is a Macedonian king who defeated Persian king. I don't think that your comparison is fair to Oliver."

"You are right. Still. I wish Oliver made it clear in his movie that you and Alexander were lovers and that your love was beautiful."

"Our love is beautiful and we are lovers. Very unusual, of course, but we are."

"Unusual?"

"Yes, because we are the same age. And because our relationship lasts for so long. No one expected it. May be not even us. We wanted it like that, but you know, when you are in love for the first time, you dream it will be for the rest of your life, and we all know that it's almost never happens."

"So, how long you and Alexander knew each other before….," Deirdre uncertainly stopped.

"Before what?" Hephaistion smiled and rather merrily laughed.

Deirdre took a deep breath. "Before you became lovers. Am I rude asking this question?"

"I don't know, it depends on what your society considers appropriate. For example, in my time only a hetaira would visit a man alone."

"Oh," blushed Deirdre, "I am sorry, I only came alone because Oliver and Colin thought it wise to…."

"Come on, Deirdre, I was joking. Please don't be offended. It doesn't take a long time to figure out that society norms changed in a last twenty centuries or so. I didn't mean any disrespect. Don't you see?"

"Yes, I'm sorry. You seem to adapt so easily. As if going back and forth centuries apart is your daily routine. I still can't comprehend it."

"I can't comprehend it either, Deirdre. I am also very much afraid that I never get back. I am scared, Deirdre. I just don't show it." Hephaistion became very serious suddenly.

"You are not a person who is easily scared, I think."

"I don't know. Easily or not, it's not the first time in my life that I am scared. I just hope that my fear will make me act as cunningly and successfully as when I wanted to make sure that Alexander loved and wanted me."

"You are going to tell me? Really?" Deirdre saw as Hephaistion lips started to form a smile. "You know what? I decided to acknowledge, fair and square, I have no chance against you. I am completely overwhelmed by your presence, by your beauty, by your character, by who you are. You will defeat me in any field, at any game. So, please, don't play games with me. For this short period of time, short for your own sake that we are together in this mess, let's just be friends. Will you give me this chance?"

"I am sorry, Deirdre, you are right. I am just too used to playing games. It's my life. I love Alexander but sometimes I even play games with him. May be people are right when they say that I manipulate him all too often. To the extend that he allows to be manipulated. But when you are fifteen, how do you say to a boy whom you know as long as you can remember yourself, who is the son of a your king, who's obsessed to surpass the glory of his father and every known hero, who can have whoever he wants, but you do suspect that he wants you, how do you say that you also want him? All to yourself?"

"How?"

"You know, by that age we both had girls. Not that we didn't like them but we were attracted too much to each other. Alexander's fear, as he later told me, was that after we enjoyed each other for some time, we would drift apart, may be because we got bored, or may be because king's son wasn't supposed to have the same lover for a long time. My fear was very much the same. So, unconsciously, we came to the similar decision. As long as we were not lovers, we had a chance of being together; but a young body has its needs and the longer you satisfy those needs with somebody you don't care about, the more desperate you become to share it with somebody you love.

So, one day, I decided that's it. It is ridiculous. I want to be with Alexander, and I am going to be with Alexander, no matter what. Still, I didn't dare just to go and tell him. I devised a special plan. We were hunting not far from Strymon River. Now, Alexander can swim, but it's not something he would do for pleasure. I, on the other hand, quite enjoy this pastime, and can definitely beat Alexander at this. I knew that, he knew that. Yet I decided to fake my drowning when I knew that Alexander would be nearby and almost alone. Almost, because even at that time he never was alone. So, I pretended struggling in the water, shouted for help, went under water several times, then surfaced; believe me, I made a very good show of it. Truth be said, I've chosen quite a dangerous place in the river to drown but Alexander of course jumped into the water without second thought. Somebody followed him because they had to but those poor souls needed their own rescuers to get out the river alive.

I made sure that Alexander could find me in the water quickly. He made some attempts to haul me out but the current was too strong and we were carried away. He was so terrified that he might loose me that he didn't realize that it was me who was keeping him afloat not visa versa. At last I made him drag me out of the water and he was no wiser. I pretended to be unconscious. He tried to revive me. You know, you have to breathe into the person's mouth to give him air. Not far from an actual kiss. The rest is history."

"Did you ever tell him that?" asked Deirdre.

"Yes, a couple of years later. After Chaeronea. It almost cost him his life later."

"How so?"

"Well, I told him the story and said that it was then that I realized how much he loved me. Not just because we at last made love to each other but because I knew how quick minded and cool headed he was in a face of any danger, but when he saw me drowning, he lost it, he was so afraid for my life that he couldn't think straight. Definite sign of being in love. He scolded me and said that one day he would test my love the same way. Little did I know how close to a tragedy that test would come.

We were approaching what is known as Cilician Gates. I was dispatched to do some reconnaissance in the nearby area. When I returned to the camp in the middle of the night I was right away taken to Parmenion who was beside himself with fear and frustration – in the evening Alexander took small amount of troops and went to the Gates to take out the guards. Parmenion started to berate me that I didn't press Alexander enough into being more cautious with his life. I don't know why but everybody thinks of me as Mother Hen to Alexander. Including his own mother. Before we left for Persia, Olympia lectured me on how I should take care of him in her absence, she even wanted me to check out the women he was going to bed; Antipater wanted me to make sure that Alexander would read his letters and won't forget about Macedonian needs while wrecking havoc on Darius cities; instructions from Aristotle reminded me that I have to attend to all his needs – body, mind and spirit; Parmenion constantly wants to discuss a list of suitable brides for Alexander; Queen Ada forced on me her cook to prepare dishes for the king, the list goes on and on.

I was really tired and didn't have patience to listen to Parmenion. I replied rather sharply that Alexander knew what he was doing and didn't need me acting as his baby nurse. Parmenion got offended, of course, but I thought the matter ended there. When Alexander got back, safe and victorious, he wanted to discuss further actions. The meeting went well but at the very end Parmenion said that there was a very important matter to discuss. Alexander was very impatient to move on with preparation to go through Cilician Gates, he didn't want to loose time, but he allowed Parmenion to speak.

To my surprise and astonishment, Parmenion started his speech with announcement that he discussed this matter with me yesterday and we both came to the same conclusion that Alexander unnecessary risks his life, exposes himself to excessive dangers that he behaves as a headstrong youngster instead of experienced king on whose shoulders lays the responsibility for his people and his country. I don't know why Alexander believed that I would ever discuss such things with Parmenion but he exploded at both of us saying that he won't allow anybody to dictate his behavior. Then he dismissed the meeting and gave us marching orders. I was angry with Parmenion but didn't have time to tell him to mind his own business, neither did I have time to talk to Alexander.

We passed through Cilician Gates without accident and moved towards Tarsus, the main city of Cilicia, the Persian province governed by satrap by the name of Arsam. In the evening I went to Alexander to let him know that I never talked about such things with Parmenion. I found him with Ptolemy and Nearchus discussing some plans. He said to me, rather rudely, that he didn't have time to listen childish nonsense and that he'd call for me when he deemed necessary. I was shocked, never before Alexander behaved like that towards me even in private, let alone with other people present. I think that Ptolemy and Nearchus didn't want to be there at that moment. So I left. During next few days I made several attempts to talk to Alexander in private but each time he made excuses for not seeing me. But I can be persistent when I want, so I went to him in a middle of the night. I just wanted to talk. Besides, I think I hoped that Alexander would be more receptive to me if we had a little pillow talk, if you know what I mean.

But Alexander was still very much not in a mood. He shouted at me and almost got his guards escort me out of his tent. It was enough for me. I have my pride and besides, if two people, who once swore to love each other till their graves, can't talk and listen any more, what happened to that love, is it still there? I know that Alexander has sometimes mood swings and very impatient with people who try to impose on him their ways of thought, but never before did Alexander deny me a chance to explain myself. I was very angry with him and didn't seek his company anymore. But in a few days Alexander cooled down and came to visit me in my tent. I told him what I wanted to tell about Parmenion little trick and expressed my disappointment at Alexander's behavior towards me. I asked him to go away and think whether he still has any feelings for me and if he still wants my love and my advice to be a part of his life.

As you probably know Alexander doesn't take rebukes well. He just became silent and went away. I was worried that I may be pushed him too hard, he was a king, after all, but I still loved Alexander the man and was not sure what would happen to that love if only king remained.

We received news that Arsam fled from Tarsus but before doing so he ordered to burn the city. Alexander didn't want to get to the city and find it completely in ruins. So, he pushed us forward at maximum speed. We got to Tarsus at midday; the sun was in its zenith, the dust from the road, the lack of any shade, the fatigue from the ride, the smoke from the flames, it all made us dizzy with exhaustion. I noticed the river in the middle of the city and made a mental note to try and go for a swim in the evening when I saw extremely exasperated Philotas guiding his horse towards me. He told me that Alexander gave him, as if there was nobody else (he didn't fail to stress) an explicit order to find me and bring to him. Honestly, I was surprised as well. It wasn't Philotas place to act as a messenger but something told me that Philotas already expressed that opinion and received quite unpleasant response from Alexander.

So, I went with Philotas. I saw from afar as Alexander was waiting for me at the bend of the river. When he noticed me, he jump from his horse, stripped his armor, run towards the river and jumped in. For a moment, I was puzzled by such behavior – why ask for me and then jump into the river before I have time to approach him? My musings were interrupted by shouts from everywhere and I saw people running towards the river where Alexander jumped. I was still too far to see what was going on, but I already didn't like it and speed up my horse. When I got to the place, I saw Alexander carried out of the water, unconscious and blue. The waters of that river were fast and deadly cold.

"Hephaistion," suddenly interrupted Deirdre, "was it Cydnus river? Are you telling me about Cydnus river episode? When he was saved by Philip, his physician? When he trusted him despite the fact that Parmenion sent him a letter warning that Philip was bribed by Darius himself to poison Alexander?"

"Yeah, that one. As everybody else, I simply presumed that Alexander was so hot that he wanted to cool himself and foolishly jumped into the water. Though I still couldn't understand why he first dispatched Philotas to bring me. But I didn't think about that a lot. I was scared to death that Philip won't be able to save Alexander, that Alexander would die and we didn't have a chance to patch our differences; that he would die without knowing how deeply in love I still was with him.

Philip wasn't aware about our quarrel before the incident and insisted that I should be with Alexander all the time. Not that I would have it any other way. When Alexander started to feel better, we spoke about small, insignificant things, we made plans about moving further, we talked about everything else except our beef. Then, suddenly, Alexander asked me if I figured out why he asked Philotas to bring me. I said 'no' and Alexander explained that because our discord was caused by Parmenion, Philotas' father, he wanted to punish Philotas by serving as a messenger between us.

I was completely taken aback by this revelation. I told him that I didn't need him punish other people for trying to separate us, I just wanted him to trust me. Alexander grinned and asked if I still love him. I assured him that I always loved him and always will. He went very silent and acknowledged that he behaved like a fool, that he learned his lesson and would never do it again. Then he said that he miscalculated a little and jumped into the river too soon, not realizing that I was still too far to save him.

First, I didn't understand. Then it dawned on me. Alexander, jumping into the Tarsus, was asking me publicly for forgiveness; imitating my jump into Strymon river he wanted to make sure that I still loved him and would go into the river to save him. I think I went white with horror with realization that Alexander could have died because he chosen such an extreme way of proving his love to me. When the shock passed, I wanted to kill him for endangering his life in such a way. He only laughed and said that it seemed that Parmenion and I did conspire to unnecessary protect him from living his life in its fullest.

So this is Alexander for you. We can't apply the same measure of judgment to him as to other people. He is unique in every way. One has to learn to live with it."


	7. Book of Siwah, Ch 7

Disclaimer # 1: I am fully aware that the movie with the same title exists (on DVD); this story was born out of that movie but took a turn to AU where it would reside with no intention of coming into a conflict with the original creation.

Disclaimer # 2: This story is a pure fiction. I don't know the real people involved; anything they do and say in my story has nothing to do with the actual lives of those people.

A/N - Thank you, my wonderful friends, who read and commented on the chapters that I already posted. I hope that you continue to do so in future. It would be also wonderful to hear the thoughts of those who read the story but didn't voice their opinion yet. Thank you all!

Siwah Oasis, 2006

Tired from a long and event packed day, Colin got into his trailer. He found there Hephaistion and Deidre friendly chatting about something.

"Hey, guys, how are you doing?" asked Colin, heavily lowering himself into a chair.

"We are fine, but I see that you are exhausted," sad Deirdre and went to Colin. She tried to make him to stand up. "It's a bad decision, you'll fall asleep in five minutes, go take a shower and I fix you something to eat."

"I am not hungry, they fed us, you know," almost mumbled actor. "I don't feel like going anywhere."

"It's not _anywhere_, it's a shower in your trailer. Do you need help, mine or Hephaistion's?" insisted Deidre trying to force Colin from the chair.

"All right, all right, I'll do it, but I expect a cup of the strongest coffee upon my return, and Oliver will be here any moment now, he stayed behind to wrap some things but said to expect him shortly."

Oliver came while Colin was still in the shower. He was also very tired and found himself a place in a corner of Colin's bed.

"I've heard you made acquaintances with some other actors," said Oliver to Hephaistion, "I think they got offended."

Hephaistion shrugged his shoulders, "Not on purpose," he explained, "They weren't friendly either. I have a lot on my mind now, so, sorry if I messed up things for you."

Oliver fell silent for some time and then asked, "Did you come up with anything? How did you switch places with Jared and how to reverse the situation?"

"Do you want to get rid of me as soon as possible?" calmly asked Hephaistion and looked at Oliver. It was easy for him to fake calmness, it was one of the best weapons he had in his arsenal of dealing with people, to be able to hide his true feelings so that nobody knew what they really were at the moment. He could fool anybody around him but he couldn't and wouldn't fool himself. And he knew that he was desperate almost on the verge of panicking. Everything was so out of his hands and he was raking his mind for the solution and explanation of the situation but he couldn't come up with anything. He really didn't want to confront Oliver, he knew that he needed his help, but confronting him made Hephaistion feel back in control; if there was absolutely nobody to rely upon, if you were corned in the desperate and hopeless situation, then your survival instincts should kick in and solution would present itself loud and clear.

Deidre nervously flicked her eyes between the two men. Oliver was known for his volatile temper, for not mincing words for courtesy sake or masking his opinions with glaze of politeness, and Deidre already realized that Hephaistion was not always an easy going person either and had a tendency to be a control freak. She desperately tried to come up with some clever reconciliatory phrase when she was saved by Colin who silently appeared from the shower cabin.

"For such staunch admirers of Alexander as both of you are professing to be, you are making a rather poor job of trying to work together. I am disappointed." He jumped onto his bed and occupied the opposite corner from where Oliver sat. "Where is my coffee, Deidre, you promised me some."

"You need to get some sleep for tomorrow shoot, not to spend your night high strung on caffeine," moodily said Oliver to Colin and at the same time deciding not to respond to Hephaistion jib.

"I can go a couple of days without much of the sleep," cheerfully said Colin accepting the cup from Deidre, "I am more than sure Hephaistion can do the same. Even without the coffee. Did you try some?" he asked Hephaistion.

"Yes, I don't see the attraction, it's too bitter."

"It's an acquired taste, I guess, and the attraction is that it helps you to stay awake for a long period of time; did you give him enough sugar, Deidre?" The girl nodded affirmatively and Hephaistion added, "I liked it with sugar even less. I don't like sweets."

"Oh, wait until you get to Babylon," laughed Colin and suddenly fell silent.

"Babylon?" asked Hephaistion perfectly pretending the ignorance, "We'll get that far?"

"Yes, I am sorry," excused himself Colin, "I shouldn't have told you that. Let's concentrate on the present, not the future. Did you come up with anything?"

"No," Hephaistion shook his head, "and I only have two days left."

"Why two days?" asked Oliver.

"Tomorrow Alexander meets with the Head Priest of the Oracle, the next morning we go back to Memphis; he goes back to Memphis," sadly corrected Hephaistion.

"No, you go too," firmly said Oliver, "and spare me your reproaches that I don't want you here; I simply need Jared back. I also want to wake up tomorrow and still read in the history books that Alexander achieved all that we know today he achieved, not that he stayed in Siwah to mourn the loss of his lover or that he went into the frenzied rage and organized the mass slaughter that surpassed the one for which Achilles was known when Patroclus died. I am having none of this. You are going to figure out what happened and how to help the situation. What did the two of you talk about the whole day?"

"Hephaistion told me about his life and Alexander, I told him about the modern life and some of the things that happened in the last twenty three centuries," responded Deidre.

"Did you manage to cover all that in a few hours? Perhaps I should ask you to write the scenario for my next movie."

Deidre smiled and said, "That would be fun but what about the current one? Do you know what you are going to shoot tomorrow?"

"Don't know yet, I'll think of something. Maybe I redraft the whole the approach to the Siwah scenes, not how I intended them in the beginning."

"Will you still need me then?" asked Colin.

"What do you think?" suddenly flared up Oliver. "The movie is about Alexander, remember that? He was declared a living god on earth in Siwah, how am I supposed to do that without you?"

"I thought we already shoot that scene?" asked Colin.

"He will be declared a god?" faked his surprise Hephaistion. He would enjoy this game of acting if not for the fact that he had far more important things on his mind.

"Yes, he will be," responded Oliver, "and please, don't lecture me on the whole future thing. It looks like in the current Hephaistion's reality it's going to happen tomorrow, so he will either miss it or arrive just in a nick of a time. I think I want to do the scene tomorrow again; nobody except us will know the real reason, but it will be a unique parallel between the events separated by twenty three centuries but taking place on the same day anyway. Maybe something will happen that would put Hephaistion and Jared back into their proper times. Now, children, how about we all go to sleep?" suggested Oliver and stretched out his arm to intercept another cup of coffee that Deidre was bringing to Colin. "No more of this stuff, you'll look like shit tomorrow, and I am sure Alexander was fresh and rested when he met with the High Priest. Isn't it so, Hephaistion?"

"Most likely," nodded Hephaistion.

It was decided that Colin would be left alone, Deidre would return to her place, and Hephaistion would go to the hotel with Oliver. Colin tried to object to this arrangement but he didn't have enough strength or conviction to argue. He just saw his guests to leave, and lay on his bed hoping to make sense of the events that happened that day, but he was asleep within a few minutes.

Oliver and Hephaistion took Deidre to her accommodations and went to Oliver's room.

The night sleep didn't bring any fresh ideas. Oliver persuaded Hephaistion to tag along to see how the movies were done and to be present during the new takes of Alexander's meeting with the priest with a faint hope that something would happen and Jared and Hephaistion would switch places back. "Or at least," whispered Oliver, "you can comment on the accuracy of the scenes. I will say that you're my new historical advisor. You already hinted that you helped Colin with his part, it would seem logical that you are giving me your advices as well."

At some point during what could still be described as morning hours Colin showed up. Deidre trailed behind the actor but it was obvious that she was responsible for his early appearance.

"My dear partner," happily announced Colin and hugged Hephaistion giving him very theatrical kisses on both cheeks, "what made you abandon me today? Do you think Oliver is going to take a better care of you? First Jared, and now you, no wonder I sought solace in Bagoas' embraces!"

Oliver opened his mouth in disbelieve at the stupidity of the phrase and Deidre hissed, "You are such an idiot, Colin. I see it was a big mistake to wake you up that early!"

Colin went numb with horror at his own words, how could he say such a thing in Hephaistion's presence? He surely didn't mean to say that, it was just a slip of the tongue, but there was no way of taking those words back.

"I am sorry," Colin bit his lip and looked at Hephaistion, "we just took certain liberty with the script and introduced some imaginary characters in the movie", he tried to explain. Unfortunately, he didn't see Neil Jackson who just joined their group and was standing behind Colin's back.

"Imaginary character," laughed the blond actor, "I am sure Hephaistion would like him to be so. But I rather enjoyed that dance that Francisco performed in the Indian court. Is he joining us any time soon?"

An uncomfortable silence hung in the air. Oliver suddenly regretted his idea of bringing Hephaistion to the shoot; he realized that there was no way to avoid the situations when other people would find it appropriate to mention the events that happened after Alexander left Egypt. But he still had a hope that the coincidental timing of the events at Siwah temple can bring about the change of places for Jared and Hephaistion. He just had to make sure that Hephaistion will be strictly in his, Colin's or Deidre's company.

"My name is Laertes," Hephaistion introduced himself to Neil as if nothing happened. "Nice to meet you. Oliver brought me in as additional historical advisor."

"Nice to meet you too,' cheerfully responded actor, "I am Neil Jackson, aka Perdiccas."

"I see," smiled Hephaistion mentally appraising this new character, "so, what do you think about yesterday shoot?"

Neil opened his mouth to respond but Oliver didn't give him a chance trying to avoid another blunder, "You can gossip behind my back later but now I would like you to go through your new lines and get ready. Colin, same goes for you," Oliver nodded to his star trying to give everybody the impression that business was as usual.

However, gods definitely weren't on the director's side, or at least Oliver thought so at that moment, because in the next minute he heard a comment from Julie, a script supervisor, "I thought, Mr. Stone, that you decided not to have Perdiccas in this shoot, you wanted everybody to presume that he wasn't present when Alexander went to meet with the priest, maybe checking security with Hephaistion or something of the kind. This was supposed to cover for Jared's temporary absence."

"Yes, I said that," confirmed Oliver inwardly cursing the bad timing, "but now I think Alexander wouldn't make that decision, sending both Hephaistion and Perdiccas away on such an important occasion."

"I don't have any scenes to give to Neil," still a little confused said Julie, "what would you like me to do, Mr. Stone?"

"Stick around," said Oliver for the lack of better idea, "I am still undecided on that one."

"All right," said Julie; she didn't have to think twice why Oliver wasn't in the mood. By that time everybody knew about Jared's absence and rumours about the reason were numerous and one more ridiculous than the other. However none of them came even close to the truth. It was obvious and understandable that Colin knew what had happened but all the attempts to fish out the information were so far unsuccessful. Julie decided to take advantage of the situation and approached Colin under the pretence of giving him his lines.

That gave Hephaistion an opportunity to continue his chat with Neil whom he decided he liked better than the actors he met yesterday.

"So, what's on your mind, Perdiccas?" humorously asked Hephaistion.

"Believe it or not," responded Neil, "I am indeed currently having more trouble as Perdiccas than as myself."

"How come?" Hephaistion wanted to know.

"It's a secret. I know it's stupid to ask but do you promise not to tell anybody?"

"Of course. What's up?"

"Did you hear about that ridiculous Secret Santa idea? We are in Egypt, for the Christ sake, it's a middle of the spring, and they decided to play Secret Santa! As if there is no other way to give each other parting presents, Wrap Party to remember, and Jared, by the way, was one of the instigators of this absurdity. And now he is conveniently absent but I am stuck with him."

"What do you mean?" asked Hephaistion trying to make sense of Neil's explanation.

"You know, the Secret Santa game, when you pretend to be Santa and give a present to somebody you pick up by lottery and the receiver of the gift doesn't know who his Santa is until the moment he receives his present?"

"Yes, of course," said Hephaistion as if he was participating in this game all his life, "so, you have to give present to Jared and you don't know what he likes?"

"It would be easy if I have to guess what Jared likes and find an appropriate gift, but the said Jared decided to complicate the situation – we are to give gifts as a character we play to the character the recipient of the gift plays; or, in a case of crew member, what a person in such position would consider appropriate. So, I have to find something that Hephaistion would like to receive as a present from Perdiccas. How the Hell I am supposed to figure that out?"

"Well, since there is no way you can ask Hephaistion himself," and the future Chiliarch gave Neil a smile that even Mona Lisa wouldn't be able to match, "you just have to rely on your best judgement. Try to get into a mindset of your character and think what would Perdiccas decide?"

"I tried that approach, believe me, and I can't come up with anything useful."

"May be you overcomplicate the things," suggested Hephaistion. "Try down to earth approach."

"I don't know. Eyeliner?"

Hephaistion gave Neil a puzzled look.

"Yeah, I know, stupid idea. What do you think about jewellery? May be a ring? Like the one Hephaistion gave to Alexander on his wedding night? Nah," Neil corrected himself, "ring is too personal, may be a fibula or a bracelet?"

Hephaistion was about to respond that a fibula was a far better choice than a bracelet when sudden realization came to him and he looked at his wrist. "The bracelet!" The black bracelet that still was on his hand when he went to the caves was missing; he frowned trying to remember whether the bracelet was on his wrist when he exited the caves.

"You think a bracelet is the better idea?" asked Neil not noticing that Hephaistion stopped listening to him.

"Yes, yes, definitely a bracelet," absent mindedly said Hephaistion and then added, "I am sorry, Neil, it was a real pleasure talking to you, but I have to go and help Oliver, this is after all why he wanted me here.

"It's all right, I understand," replied Neil, "see you around, Laertes."

Hephaistion wanted immediately to talk to Oliver and Colin but then decided that it would be better not to interrupt whatever they were doing and discuss things with Deirdre instead. He made an eye contact with the young woman and turned his head to the right indicating that they need to talk. Deidre nodded in agreement but first approached Colin and quietly told him that she goes to Hephaistion's side.

"How was Perdiccas?" asked Deidre not sure why Hephaistion wanted to talk to her.

"Brilliant!" said Hephaistion and taking her out of earshot of everybody else told her the story of the bracelet he bought with real Perdiccas in the market.

Deirdre knitted her brows. "That's promising, the bracelet is rather unusual, either being just a clever trick or maybe the real reason behind you switching places. Are you sure you had it on your wrist when you went to the caves?"

"Yes, I lost my footing for a moment in the caves and tried to catch onto some ledge on the wall, and I distinctly remember how the stones of the bracelet clinked against the wall. I am just not sure when it disappeared from my arm. Do you also think that the bracelet may have something to do with what happened to both of us?" hopefully asked Hephaistion.

"At least it's something," said Deidre. "How about we go to the caves and check it there? I don't remember seeing any bracelet on your wrist yesterday. Maybe I knocked it off when I jumped on you?"

"Perhaps. Let's start with the caves."

They didn't have any luck finding bracelet in the caves despite spending a lot of time there. "Is it possible that somebody went into the caves and found the bracelet?" hesitantly asked Hephaistion.

"It's possible and I will ask around. But something doesn't make sense. Jared definitely didn't have any bracelet on his wrist when he went into the caves. So, how did he get drawn into your time?"

"Maybe one bracelet is enough, just two people have to be at the same time in the caves," mused Hephaistion. "Is there any market nearby? We can go and look there. After all, I bought mine when I was browsing the stalls with Perdiccas. Isn't it a strange coincidence that it was that Neil guy, who plays Perdiccas, who reminded me about the bracelet?"

"There is a souk in the village and a number of small stores too, we can make an effort and visit them all. I too find it encouraging that Perdiccas was involved both times. Are you close friends in real life?"

"I don't think that I have any friends but Alexander. Though Perdiccas is friendly but who knows what really is on his mind."

"You chose a hard life, Hephaistion."

"I didn't choose it, but I never regretted it either," smiled Hephaistion. "Don't pity me, I am very happy with what I got."

"Oh, I don't pity you, Hephaistion, I envy you. To experience such a love in your life! I think this is why others hate you. They may pretend that this is because of the position you have but it's not true. You found your soulmate, and so did Alexander; in the end, it's what everybody wants, but so few get. There were so many people in history who achieved everything they ever desired but they weren't happy. I am sure I know why."

"This is very kind of you to say those words," said Hephaistion, "even if a miracle happens and I go tomorrow back to my own time, I will always remember you as my very good friend. I am grateful that gods gave me a chance to meet you."

"Thanks," said Deirdre quietly. "It means a lot to me."

They spent the rest of the day trying to find the bracelet in the stores and Deirdre even came up with the idea to check the internet, but they had no luck. In the end, tired and disappointed they went to the Oliver's hotel where they agreed to meet earlier. It was already dark outside when all four of them met and exchanged the news about what happened to them since they separated earlier in the morning.

"So, what now?" asked Colin when they were done discussing the events.

"I don't know and I still think you should have stayed during the shoot," insisted Oliver, "maybe we lost the chance that never is going to present itself again."

"I like the bracelet idea better," admitted Colin. "And if you ask me, we should wrap this meeting and take Hephaistion to the caves. Leave him there with a torch and wait what happens."

"We didn't find the bracelet," Hephaistion sadly shook his head.

"That's true," admitted Colin, 'you didn't find the original or the replacement but it doesn't mean that Jared failed as well."

Hephaistion tossed his head up and his eyes lit, "Though I don't see why Jared would go and search for the bracelet about which existence he knows nothing, it's still a remote possibility."

Oliver's instinct for the plot development kicked in and he said, "Well, let's hope that Jared made friends with Perdiccas who would take him shopping in the same market."

"I don't know," hesitantly commented Hephaistion, "isn't it too much to ask from the gods?"

"Never hurts to ask," smiled Colin and stood up. "Let's go. Alexander knows that Hephaistion knows that he leaves Siwah tomorrow morning. If they somehow found the bracelet they would assume that we figured out the same and bring you to the caves. He will send Jared there as well. Two Alexanders plotting together, the gods will have no choice but to follow our battle plan."

Jared lost track of how long he was staring at that cursed dead end wall in the cave. He wanted to go back to his own time and to stay in this one at the same time. He suddenly remembered that strange and intriguing script his agent sent him for the new movie shortly before he left for Egypt. It was about an old guy, aged 120 or something who was the last mortal person on earth and journalists wanted to know about his life. The old man talked about the past in short fragments between dozing away because of his age. The twist was that each time he described the different life depending on the choices he made along the way.

Jared liked the idea of the script and gave his preliminary consent and now it looked like life decided to test his abilities and presented him with equally difficult dilemma. It was supposed to be very easy, he has to go back and give Hephaistion the chance to return to his own time, but what was that nagging feeling inside his heart that made him wish to stay and spend the rest of his life around Alexander? He shivered and crossed his arms hugging the shoulders. And at that moment he realized that the bracelet was gone from his wrist.

"Come on, Jared, can you at least pretend that you are happy to see everybody?" Colin nudged his friend with an elbow. "Who knows when we are going to see each other again?"

The reshoot of the movie was at last completed, Oliver got what he wanted and they all were about to part their ways. It took several days for Jared to get back on track and switch from one reality to another. Following Hephaistion advice, Oliver didn't provide any explanation about Jared's sudden disappearance and reappearance after a couple of days; and Colin, Jared and Deirdre remained as enigmatic as their acting abilities allowed them to be.

The four of them spent a lot of time together sharing their experiences and Jared fumed for a long time that nobody had a presence of mind to take at least one picture of Hephaistion.

"I understand that finding a working camera in this god forgotten place was a real challenge," sarcastically accused Jared, "but couldn't you make some effort?"

"I am really sorry, Jared," Colin was truly upset and tried to explain their lapse of judgement. "I don't know if anybody could have behaved logically in our situation. I don't have to tell you. We were all in the same boat. You didn't bring back any souvenirs either."

"How many times I have to explain to you that everything that Alexander gave me disappeared together with the bracelet? The king insisted on giving me presents despite my concern that they may interfere with the whole switch-back process." He spent the last evening with Alexander mostly allowing the king do all the talking. The actor sensed worry, uncertainty and even fear in Alexander's voice and it was then that he realized the true meaning of Hephaistion's death scene in the movie. The king knew that his friend was dying and he simply couldn't face it. He talked about the future because he couldn't deal with the present. Did Oliver do that on purpose? Did his instinct tell him that if in real life Alexander would got back to the palace in time to spend the remaining few moments with Hephaistion, he wouldn't be able to watch the last breath escaping the lips of his beloved?

"Jared, Jared, wake up," Colin pocked his friend's ribs again. "Neil is to present you with a gift."

"Ah? What's that?" the actor was brought back from his reverie trying to concentrate on what was going on. He saw Neil coming in his direction with some box in his hands.

"So, the lottery gods decided that I, Perdiccas, temporary fulfilling the role of Santa, have to present a gift to my dear friend Hephaistion." Neil was smiling as he approached the place where Jared sat with Colin. Then, instead of closing the last few meters between himself and the intended recipient of the gift, Neil stopped near a side table littered with used plates and waved his hand asking Jared to approach. Seeing Deirdre nearby, Neil asked her to take the plates from the table. Putting on an exaggeratingly offended look, Deirdre collected the plates and putting them away, quickly came back.

"I have a very special gift here for our beloved Chiliarch," cheerfully continued the actor, "Mr. Stone, would you mind passing me that red cloth?" and when the director complied, Neil covered the table with it. "Ok, Hephaistion, come closer, don't hide behind Alexander."

"Can I have a peek too?" asked Colin.

"Of course, my king," playfully continued Neil, "how can I say 'No' to you?"

Now Jared stood before the table moodily staring at the box in Neil's hands.

"A little story before I present my gift," Neil went on with his act, "I have to admit that I can't take a full credit for this idea. While Jared was otherwise occupied at some undisclosed location, there was this guy by the name of Laertes, who, during his very short stay with us managed to break hearts of every female on this set, and maybe not only female," wickedly smiled Neil. "Anyway, I had a chance to speak with him and told him about my dilemma of finding an appropriate gift. I know, I know, I wasn't really supposed to do that, sorry if I broke any rules. However, after discussing some of the possibilities, we decided in favour of a bracelet. Unfortunately, we didn't have a chance to going shopping together, so I had to do the buying part on my own." Neil stopped, masterfully sustaining a very dramatic pause.

After some moments of silence he continued, "I was always a very picky gift buyer, so, despite wasting a lot of time in the market, I couldn't find anything that would be worthy of being a present to Hephaistion. I almost gave up and wanted to buy him a 3D puzzle of a castle or something, after all the general was known for building cities and bridges. And then at last I got lucky. I found a gift that combined both ideas."

Neil opened the box and Jared listened with horror to the merciless sound of the familiar jet black stones falling with the inevitability of doom on the table.

END OF BOOK I.

A/N – The next chapter will open the second Book of this story, The Book of Tripolis (Susa, Ecbatana, Babylon).


	8. Book of Tripolis, Ch 1 Susa

Disclaimer # 1: I am fully aware that the movie with the same title exists (on DVD); this story was born out of that movie but took a turn to AU where it would reside with no intention of coming into a conflict with the original creation.

Disclaimer # 2: This story is a pure fiction. I don't know the real people involved; anything they do and say in my story has nothing to do with the actual lives of those people.

Note # 1: The story is divided into 3 books. Each book consists of several chapters.

**This is Book II – Tripolis (Susa, Ecbatana, Babylon).**

A/N - Thank you, my wonderful friends, who read and commented on the chapters that I already posted. My special regards to those who commented for the first time. It would be also wonderful to hear the thoughts of those who read the story but didn't voice their opinion yet. Thank you all.

_Vicinity of_ _Susa, 324 BC_

"Are you sure if we leave now we'll get to Susa before the darkness fall?" Jared asked one of the guards.

"Yes, that's what the locals say; I told them we're the king's special envoys, they won't dare to lie to us."

"We should go now then," Jared turned to Damian, "the end of the road is close. When we join Alexander, half of our worries will be gone and we can think what to do next."

"I say we stay here for the night," contradicted his friend, "we rest, our horses rest, we'll leave tomorrow morning and arrive at Susa at midday, fresh after good night sleep and without worrying about getting lost in the darkness."

Jared shook his head in a negative motion. "No, we should continue, I can't wait any longer. We are not going to get lost, why are you so worried?"

"I am not worried, I am tired. You pushed us all the way from Siwah, we got no rest, we look like shit and we smell like goats. And all for what? To get to Susa a couple of days earlier? After all the delays you caused in the past?"

Jared chose to completely ignore the accusation. "What was in the past, remained in the past. We are in the present now. If we can get to Susa today, we have to. I thought you were used to that sort of travel."

"Yes, but that was to save people's lives." Damian shrugged his shoulders and resigned to the fact that he would spend the rest of the day on the road.

"We are going to save people's lives," confirmed Jared jumping onto the horse, "two of them for sure and I hope many more." He took off without looking back quite confident that Damian and the guards would follow him.

It was true what Damian said. During their journey Jared pushed relentlessly to go forward. But desire to be at Alexander's side was just a half of the reason. Another one was that wearing himself out to the point of complete exhaustion was the only way for Jared of stopping the unpleasant thoughts from invading his mind. Of course, it was his problem, Damian didn't have a guilty conscience, and guards were just guards. But nobody complained so far. Damian's way of life made him impervious to those challenges long time ago and the guards, soldiers first in Philip's and then in Alexander's army had the endurance of the gods.

But on this last leg on their journey even the all consuming tiredness and fatigue weren't enough of the barrier to stop the unpleasant thoughts from taking a full control of his mind. Not being able to overcome his sudden urge, Jared freed his left hand to feel the remaining stones safely stored away in the hidden pocket of his tunic. From the initial gift of Neil on that far away farewell party for the movie only half was left, enough for two bracelets. The other half successfully transferred him and Damian from Siwah in 21st century A.D. to the 4th century B.C.

Jared still remembered the chill that run through his body when he saw what the gift box contained. He was in such a shock that Colin literally had to drag him away to nearby coach giving some lame excuse to Jared's reaction. Those first days after receiving the present were still very vague in Jared's mind. He remembered boarding the plane and coming home. He remembered the constant urge to throw the damned stones away and accompanying fear of loosing them somehow. That fear was constantly waking him up in a middle of the night and Jared had to make sure that the stones were still there. But he welcomed those waking moments because they took him away from the nightmares that haunted his dreams almost every night. The images of the past and the present existed together in some surreal realm inhabited by historical personages, actors who played them in the movie and people whom Jared met in his life.

One night it was real Herostratus setting Academy Award building on fire when Anthony Hopkins was invited, another night it was Alexander killing Gary Stretch with a spear, then Jonathan, dressed as king Henry VIII instead of Cassander, was killing Colin's sons; Angelina Jolie as Olympia was hiding poisonous snakes in the bed of the real Hephaistion only to be killed by Brad Pitt in the image of Achilles who came to revenge the death of his descendant's beloved. As the days went by, the horrors didn't stop. Almost weekly Alexander's army, sometimes led by the king himself, sometimes by Colin, massacred the fans who came to attend his band concerts, Philip of Macedon and Val Kilmer competed in drinking themselves into stupor, and a guy whom Jared had no difficulty to recognize as a real Bagoas constantly tried to get into bed with Oliver Stone and Colin and when for some weird reason he succeeded to do both, Francisco Bosch was trying to sell the incriminated tapes to the top tabloids.

Jared tried to interfere but for some reason he wasn't allowed to participate in his dreams. He had no idea how to stop these nightmares but he firmly decided that he was not going to share them with those few people who could relate. A few times he thought of telling Shannon of his recent experiences because he was sure that Colin, Oliver and Deirdre would understand but each time he decided against it. He took a few roles that his agent found for him but the new people and the new personages joined the crazy world of his nightmares and he decided to stop acting at all. He threw himself wholeheartedly into music and committed all his time to his band. His talents and dedication brought the band from obscurity to fame but his nightmares continued.

Not that Colin and the others didn't try to reach out to him. But Jared kept them off, somehow hoping that this ostrich behavior will help him and that all his nightmares will go away one day. He couldn't bring himself to think about the possibility of going back to Alexander's period and at the same time he was horrified of throwing away the opportunity to see the king again. Whenever these thoughts started to form in his mind, he chased them away, but the thoughts, like Harpies, returned.

He ignored all the communication attempts from his friends making one excuse after another. However they didn't give up. Taking turns, Colin, Oliver and Deidre showed up at his concerts and at the events that he attended but all was of no avail. Jared managed to play this game for almost six years, when one night he received a call from Colin who threatened him with giving up their secret to Shannon, their mother and the whole world.

"Why now?" without much interest asked Jared.

"Because. We meet tomorrow at 7 PM at your place. Don't even think about disappearing. I am serious."

"OK," somewhat surprised with his own answer said Jared. "We'll meet once and that's it."

The reunion didn't start well and very quickly escalated to the level that possibly none of them expected. They shouted at each other till their throats became sore. Colin and Jared exchanged blows and Oliver, trying to pull them apart, got his share too.

"I. Am. Not. Going. Anywhere." Heavily breathing said Jared. "I have no desire to be a lab rat again and you have no right to demand that of me. I don't give a damn about those stones. I don't give a damn about Alexander and Hephaistion. I don't give a damn about you either. Get out of my house and never show your face to me again."

"Why, Jared, but why?" her eyes red from of crying and lips quivering in desperation, asked Deirdre. "Only you can go. There should be some meaning behind this, some purpose."

"Because I don't want to. Because you can't make me to. Because there is no meaning and no purpose. Now, leave or I'll call the police."

"You are going to call the police on us?" in utter disbelieve asked Colin. He winced and touched his head; he was sure that he would have a huge bump tomorrow in the spot where Jared fist landed.

"I will if I have to. Now leave."

"Think again, Jared." Oliver said seriously. "You didn't even explain yourself. I can't understand, and none of us can, why you refuse to go, why you even refuse to discuss it without exploding?"

"Because there is nothing to discuss. It's you who refuse to understand. Please just leave. Here, I'll make it easier for you." Jared left the room and came back a moment later bringing the familiar box. "Here are the stones," he deliberately rudely shoved the box into Deirdre's hands, "have fun."

There were no goodbyes, no hugs, no kisses. Just the lonely sound of the shut door. The door that, Jared thought, was closed forever.

But 'forever' only lasted for several hours. After all those years it was the first night when Jared didn't have any nightmares in his dreams. Nightmare has visited him in the hard reality in a form of the phone call from Oliver. The director coldly informed him that there was a car accident, Deirdre was dead and Colin in serious condition in the hospital.

Oliver was thoughtlessly staring at the medical equipment that quietly hummed doing its job. He heard the door opened behind him and knew that the approaching steps weren't those of a doctor or a nurse.

"How did it happen?" Jared asked quietly.

There were millions of harsh and cruel words that Oliver wanted to tell to the singer but what was the point? Instead, rather tonelessly, he said, "Colin dropped me off where I asked him to and drove away to take Deirdre to her friend who lives outside the city. I don't know what went wrong but Colin's car went off the road and hit a concrete well or something. Deirdre was killed on the spot and Colin is only alive because the driver of the passing car happened to be some military surgeon who used to treat wounded under the abnormal circumstances and he had some medical stuff in his car. He was able to keep him alive until the emergency vehicle arrived. The doctor says his injuries are serious but he is going to pull through."

And so the vigil started. Jared basically relocated to the hospital leaving only once to attend Deirdre's funeral. Colin's family came and one of them was always in the hospital. Oliver visited almost daily. When Colin regained consciousness, he looked at Jared silently but said nothing. Colin's relatives were rather surprised by Jared's presence and Oliver's frequent visits but they had other things on their mind and didn't ask too many questions. Jared dreaded the moment when he and Colin would be left alone but it didn't happened until one day when he returned from the cafeteria and discovered that Colin had no company. He slowly closed the door and approached the bed maintaining, as difficult as it was for him, the eye contact.

"Can I sit here?" he asked.

"Yes," quietly said Colin and looked away. Jared sat on the bed desperately searching his mind for some topic of conversation but it escaped him; then he heard the door opened. He turned around and saw Oliver coming in with an unknown man. Oliver asked Colin how he felt and gave a silent nod to Jared.

"Let me introduce you to somebody," Oliver said to Colin and turned in the direction of the stranger. "This is Damian, he saved your live."

"I've heard you're doing well," smiled the surgeon and taking the spare chair straddled it resting his hands on the top of the chair's back. He definitely wasn't one for formal introductions and official handshakes. "I am sorry about your friend. There was nothing I could do for her. She died on the spot. Do you know if they found that pick up truck that hit you?"

"No," Colin shook his head. "I didn't pay any attention to that car until it slammed into us and then it was too late; nobody came forward so far. I owe you my life. If there is any way I can return the favor…."

"You don't owe my anything," smiled the surgeon. "It's my job. I am glad that I was passing by. Otherwise, you know, it's quite desolate part of the road, and in the middle of the night. You lost a lot of blood, your injuries were severe, and you wouldn't last long without any help."

"I guess I got lucky. I wish the same was true for Deirdre. She was a very close friend. A very close friend of ours," and Colin sadly looked at Oliver and Jared.

"I understand," nodded Damian. "Oh, I almost forgot, I have to return this to you. I found this box in your friend's hand, she was clutching it. I was afraid it would get lost in the confusion and took it to give back later. Are those your friendship bracelets?" Damian gave the box to Colin and genially smiled.

"Friendship bracelets?" asked Colin with surprise opening the box and looking in bewilderment at the familiar stones. "How do you know that the stones form bracelets?"

Damian shrugged his shoulders. "It's magnetic hematite, right? Or some fancy jewelry with microchip or something like that inside? I don't know. When I opened the box for the first time to see what's inside, the stones just went around my wrist in four bracelets."

"The stones formed into four bracelets on your wrist?" incredulously asked Colin.

"That can't be," said Oliver and came closer.

Damian, having no idea what the problem was, took the box from Colin's hands and turned it upside down above the wrist of his right hand. The stones snaked down from the enclosure and made it into the four beautiful bracelets one near the other on the surgeon's wrist.

"See," said Damian oblivious of the expression of stupor on the faces of the other three men. "Do you mean you didn't know?" He looked at Colin and then realized that something was wrong. He turned his head first to Jared and then to Oliver. "What did I do?" he asked, confused.

"May I?" Colin stretched his hand pointing to the stones.

"Yes, yes, of course," hurried Damian, sliding the bracelets down from his wrist and giving them to Colin.

Colin collected the stones in the cupped palms of his hands and said, "It's not hematite and there are no microchips or anything like that inside. It's called obsidian and see," Colin put the stones on the blanket and held his wrist over them. Stones, obviously, remained in place without any movement. Then Oliver bent over and repeated the movement with the same result.

"Believe us," said director, "you can try it with many people, the result will be the same."

"Eh, so why only me?" uncertainly asked Damian.

"Not exactly only you," said Colin, "so far it's you and two other people. Jared is another one."

"And your friend who died was another?" asked Damian.

"Deidre? No, she wasn't another one," answered Oliver.

"Who is the other one and what's the story?" inquired the surgeon with an unhidden interest.

"I will go," suddenly said Jared, "I will take him and go."

"Take me? Where?" asked Damian. "What are you talking about?"

"Deidre's death suddenly convinced you?" Colin asked angrily. "Why don't you wait till all of us die?"

"Colin!" reproachfully exclaimed Oliver.

"What? Don't you dare to take his side! We asked him, we begged him, we tried to convinced him in all the ways possible! He wouldn't listen!" Colin pointed the accusatory finger at Jared. "And now, when Deirdre is dead, he graciously agrees to go. You know what? We don't need you anymore. We have Damian. You can crawl back to your hole and stay there for the rest of your life. Get out of my room. I don't want to see you here!"

Jared stood up, upset. His lower lip trembled. "I cried my eyes out when Deirdre died. How can you say that I wanted her dead? Do you know what I went through since my return? I didn't want to involve you. I didn't want your life to become as miserable as mine!"

"Calm down, calm down," Oliver tried to pacify both actors, "Deirdre's death is none of your fault. Only the driver of that car is to blame. Colin, you can't get distressed like that. You are still recuperating."

"I am fine," puffed Colin. "I was told I can go home tomorrow. Mom went to arrange the papers."

Jared silently went to the window and started to beat with his fingers the opening score of the 'Alexander' movie.

"Oh, I like that music," said Damian, happy to change the topic of the conversation though he still couldn't understand what was it all that about.

"Did you like the movie?" asked Jared turning around.

"I can't possibly say that I didn't with all of you in the same room," chuckled Damian.

"So, you didn't like it?" Oliver rephrased Jared's question.

"Yes and no. You can't fit the life of Alexander into three hours. It should have been a TV series or several movies. Then there was a chance of people understanding him better. And why did you drag Cassander into Asia?"

"I needed a villain."

"Oh, I thought those were aplenty even without him. But, don't take me wrong, in general, I sort of liked the movie, except for one small scene, but it was personal."

"Which one?" asked Oliver with interest.

"When Alexander came after the battle to visit the wounded; when he talked to that soldier who had to be given a mercy killing because he wasn't going to survive."

"You didn't like it because as a doctor you hate to see people die, especially that way, even in a movie?" asked Jared.

"No, because it so happened that once I had to do the same," rather grimly said Damian.

"The same?" horrified, asked Colin. "I thought that in the modern times…."

"What? Everybody can be saved?"

"No," Colin shook his head, "it's just…. I don't know…. You are in a military, right?"

"Not exactly."

"What do you mean?" it was Oliver's turn to ask.

"I started as a trauma surgeon in ER but after some five years I got bored."

"Excuse me?" Colin interrupted him in disbelieve.

"I know, I know, it's weird but I am not telling this to you in order to show off or something. I then joined Doctors Without Borders, went to the zones of war conflicts; the word got around, I was asked to go to the places that others doctors wouldn't. I liked the challenge of being able to save people's lives under the most gruesome and horrible circumstances with minimum of medical supplies or any kind of support. I got nicknamed Dr. MacGyver. But I also got accused of seeking thrills in other people's tragedies. They conveniently forgot the fact that I didn't create those horrors, I just try to help people who find themselves in a middle of it. Believe me, after everything I saw, I still get upset about every life I can't save."

"So, you would enjoy an absolutely unique challenge to test your medical ingenuity?" asked Colin.

"Enjoy the challenge? Yes. But I never enjoy the grim circumstances; I am just good at dealing with them. But I saw it all. I saw the horrors that you can't imagine. Absolutely unique challenge? Do you need a medical consultant for some disaster movie?"

"No," said Jared. "How can I describe it in a better way? It's more like a reality show but for internal use only, not for TV."

Colin managed a wry laugh. "Jared, you definitely have a way with words. Damian, it's really something unique. There is no insurance for the risk you are going to take. There is no monetary reward. I mean, there is no payment at all. I don't know how long it will take. I don't know what it will take," with each short phrase Colin's voice became more and more serious.

"All right, you picked my curiosity; what's it about?"

"Take a sit," Colin pointed to the same chair that Damian occupied previously. "You sure that you're OK with it?" and the actor turned first to Oliver and then to Jared. Both nodded in agreement.

They arrived at Susa when darkness started to descent on the city. It wasn't difficult to find out where Alexander stayed but it took them eternity to get to the palace. By the time they got close to the king's rooms, everybody was very tired, exhausted and almost at each others throats. After being told that the King has already retired and whatever news they have brought from the distant Siwah oasis they can relay to Eumenus in the morning, Jared lost his nerve and hit one of the bodyguards across the face. A moment later the infuriated bodyguard, his lips cut and nose smashed by the metal knuckles that Jared had on his fingers, had his sword at the actor's throat.

"Do you know what happens to those who attack the king's bodyguards?" he asked wiping the blood from his face.

"Do you know what happens to those who don't care to report to the king an assassination plot against his life? Envious of Pholotas' glory?" menaced Jared through the clenched teeth.

"We traveled in a hurry from Siwah," tried to explain one of the soldiers who came with Jared and Damian. "If you can't take us directly to the king, you better find somebody who can."

Beres, the commanding officer on duty of the king's bodyguards that evening, surveyed the newcomers. He wasn't happy at all that one of them was quick enough to strike first but he would deal with that later. He turned to another guard on duty, "Philoderm, go find General Perdiccas, and make it quick."

The guard rushed away to follow the order but was almost immediately intercepted by the said general who entered the room in a whirlwind. He didn't pay any attention to the more than usual amount of people present in the guards' anteroom and went directly to Beres. "Why wasn't I told that General Hephaistion arrived and went to see the king? Why you didn't stop him?"

"How could I stop the Chiliarch?" was all that Beres could say barely suppressing his desire to express the ludicrousness of such a request.

"I should have been told earlier," Perdiccas insisted and surveyed the people around, "What is this crowd doing here? I don't want anybody who is not on duty loitering at this place. Don't they have any other things to do?"

"Yes, general, but these people came from Siwah to see the king. They are saying there is a conspiracy against the king's life…."

Perdiccas didn't listen to the end and went to Damian whom he mistook to be the leader of the group. "Who are you, what's going on? What conspiracy?"

Jared, guard's sword not at his throat anymore, couldn't resist the jibe, "Don't worry, Perdiccas, he is Alexander too."

"What?" the general turned around and faced the actor, not recognizing him at first after all those years, "What kind of the joke is that? How dare you to mock our king? Who are you?"

"I'll tell you if you promise not to ask me to repay the debt with the outrageous amount of interest," taunted Jared and outstretched his hand enough for Perdiccas to see the bracelets on his wrists, "remember those?"

Perdiccas stared in disbelieve at the bracelets, temporary robbed of his ability to utter a single word.

"That's impossible! By Ares' balls! You came back!" the general grabbed Jared in a bear hug almost crashing his bones.

"I hope you are not going to kiss me in public or something?" the actor joked.

Perdiccas threw his head back and heartily laughed. "No, I am not going to, but I know somebody who will! Damn! If I bring you to Alexander, nobody is going to give him a better wedding present!"

"Well, how about you do it now?" Jared asked.

"Now is not a good time," Perdiccas became serious. "Come, we'll talk."

"All right," Jared agreed. "How about I dismiss the guards who came with us from Siwah, I bet they are dying to get rid of me. And this is my friend Gavalos," Jared nodded in Damian's direction, "he'll come with us."

Perdiccas took them to the nearby room that resembled some sort of small private parlor and was about to ask his lieutenant to bring them some food and drinks, when Jared intervened, "I really need to see Alexander now. I am tired to death and I am afraid that I can fall asleep while sitting here."

"Have you really brought some information about the assassination plot?" Perdiccas asked knitting his brows.

"No, no, it was just a ruse to get through the guards."

"I advise you against such jokes. Many things changed since we met last time." Perdiccas warned.

"I am aware of that. What's the story with Hephaistion?"

"What do you mean?"

"Perdiccas, I am tired, really. You know what I meant. Since when do Hephaistion's visits to the king need your approval and supervision?"

"They don't need my approval and supervision but I am responsible for the king's safety."

"Perdiccas, please. Spare me this rubbish."

"Oh, well," the general shrugged his shoulders. "But some things changed, even between Alexander and Hephaistion. It's not a public knowledge, though. I am not sure if I can tell you."

"Perdiccas…."

"Don't 'Perdiccas' me. After all, I don't know you that well," the general mumbled sullenly.

"Well, then, just take me to the king," Jared stood up.

The general nodded in Damian's direction, "Who is he?"

Jared cursed and took a step in Perdiccas' direction. "I told you, I was tired. I told you I needed to see the king right away. Why are you making it so hard?"

Perdiccas didn't answer and turned away. Then he started pacing back and forth kicking the things around. "Why I am always in the middle?"

"You are not in the middle. What's wrong?"

"Alexander and Hephaistion have quarreled earlier today. Again."

"Why? What happened?"

"I have no idea. Something about this wedding, I think. Then they agreed that Hephaistion would come to king's chambers later today. Alexander waited but Hephaistion was late. Alexander got mad and ordered to bring Bagoas to his rooms. Do you know who Bagoas is?"

"Unfortunately. And?"

"Well, shortly after Bagoas came, Hephaistion showed up and, as you can imagine, he didn't like what he found. What I was supposed to do?"

"I don't know. Invite Roxana?"

"Ha-ha, very funny."

"All right. I think I can solve your problem. All you need to do is to take me to the king. I told you so from the very beginning. How about you stop procrastinating and do just that?"

"Can you show a little respect here?"

"I love you, Perdiccas. How is our friend Ptolemy?"

"Why do you ask?" Perdiccas asked suspiciously.

"I don't know, you seem unwilling to appreciate the company of an old friend."

"Ptolemy is not my enemy."

"Very clever." Jared enigmatically smiled. "I didn't say that he was, by the way. It's your interpretation of my question. Now. How about that visit to the king?"

"All right. You win. But I am not going to be responsible for your reception."


	9. Book of Tripolis, Ch 2 Susa

Title: Alexander Revisited

Disclaimer # 1: I am fully aware that the movie with the same title exists (on DVD); this story was born out of that movie but took a turn to AU where it would reside with no intention of coming into a conflict with the original creation.

Disclaimer # 2: This story is a pure fiction. I don't know the real people involved; anything they do and say in my story has nothing to do with the actual lives of those people.

A/N - Thank you, my wonderful friends, who read and commented on the chapters that I already posted. My special regards to those who commented for the first time. It would be also wonderful to hear the thoughts of those who read the story but didn't voice their opinion yet. Thank you all.

_Susa, 324 BC_

Perdiccas took them to the door that weirdly reminded Jared the one that they had on the set to his own chambers. The general was about to push them open when he suddenly changed his mind and, turning around, said, "I'll take you through the side entrance. It will be safer. Who knows what Alexander might think if we barge like that through the main doors when he gave me an explicit order not to be disturbed."

"He might think that this is an emergency," supplied Jared and, being used to have his own way, pushed the doors open.

"Or he may spear me like Cleitos," thought Jared a bit too late when, leaving the doors behind him opened for others to enter, he hastily made his way into the room. He had only a moment to exhale briefly in relief that he wasn't pinned down by the spear right away when he felt being thrown roughly against the wall with a dagger pressed firmly against his windpipe.

"Hephaistion, don't!" he heard Perdiccas cried out in warning.

"What is it with you, people? Can't you at least first say "Hello" and then go for the kill?" managed Jared and looked at his opponent.

Hephaistion had beautiful black eyes that, despite all the worries that were hidden behind them, didn't loose their youthful shine and brilliance. Black curls, far shorter than Jared would ever imagine were the perfect match to his eyes' colour. Jared had trouble concentrating on any other features of his face because of their closeness but his mind involuntary noted the even breathing of his hero; Hephaistion must have had an incredible self control if the sudden attack, or what he must have thought as attack, didn't affect his heart rate.

Without taking the dagger away, Hephaistion dragged Jared to the middle of the room where the light from the torches provided more visibility. The actor didn't take his eyes away and they stared at each other for another moment when Jared saw the sparkle of recognition flickered in Hephaistion's eyes. He felt general's grip loosened and the other hand, that was holding the dagger, fell soundlessly down. Then Chiliarch's brows went up and the lips formed a silent "Oh".

"Didn't expect me back so soon, right?" Jared broke the magic moment and run his fingers through his "Hephaistion" hair.

"Laertes?" he heard behind him a voice that he immediately recognized as Alexander's and turned around.

If the image of real Hephaistion he had only in his imagination following Colin's and Oliver's description, the look of Alexander was his own treasure to cherish. He turned around toward the voice and saw the bewildered king in the middle of the bed standing on his knees, the look of utter astonishment frozen on his face. All around the king the pillows and blankets were tossed in disarray hiding away the most of his naked body. Bagoas' silhouette, beautiful but disturbing in its presence, loomed in the shadows.

"Ares' balls, it's really you!" exclaimed the king, trying to navigate his way through all the obstacles in the huge bed. Hastily pushing his arms into the robe that Bagoas hurriedly supplied to the king, he slide from the bed and closed the distance in a few fast steps. Reaching Jared, he happily laughed and enclosed him in a tight embrace.

"No kiss?" faking disappointment, merrily asked Jared.

"You can blame Oliver for that," whispered Alexander into Jared's ear and the actor felt king's body shook with laughter.

"Oh, if I knew that you were going to follow his scenario so closely, I would make him to reshoot the whole movie without Francisco," Jared commented in the same tone.

Alexander chuckled and broke the embrace. "Even gods have their weaknesses. Zeus has his Ganymede, I have my Bagoas."

"Darn, I never thought of that explanation!" hooted Jared, "now I know why you married Roxana, you wanted to complete the package with Hera."

"That's a blasphemy but if she bears me the son that has the might of Ares and wisdom of Athena…."

"I see, and also the beauty of Apollo, the ingenuity of Hermes, and the skills of Hephaestus…."

"I know, wouldn't that be wonderful?" dreamily responded Alexander, "but I am afraid that was too much to hope. In the meantime, while I am still waiting, how about we celebrate your visit? Perdiccas, can you arrange? And Laertes, who is your friend whom you brought here for a visit? I hoped to see Colin, Oliver and even Deirdre."

"How do you know it's not one of them? I mean, not Colin or Oliver?" with interest asked Jared.

Alexander thought for a moment and said, "I would expect another reaction from any of them. More excitement and forwardness, I think. So?"

"That definitely would be true about Colin. Anyway, this is my, no, our, friend Gavalos, he is a historian."

"Ah," noted Alexander, and Jared wasn't sure if the king was buying their ploy, "I hope he has more love for me than Callisthenes."

"Absolutely, my king," Damian took a step forward and bowed. "It's an honour to meet you in person." His attention completely on the king, he didn't notice the calculating look that Hephaistion was giving him.

"Perdiccas, something quickly, just for four of us, and after that please make sure that nobody disturbs us, this time for real."

"That will be done immediately, Alexander, though our guests complained that they were very tired. I take it they made it in record time from Siwah. May I let the others know? I am sure that Leonnatus and Nearchus will be thrilled."

"Yes, yes, of course," absent-mindedly agreed the king. "Somebody has to prepare baths for them and bring some refreshments in the meantime. Oh, this is going to be a fabulous night. I expect a full report from them."

"Alexander, maybe we should let them rest first," suggested Hephaistion mindful of Perdiccas' information and his own close observation. "Look, they barely stand on their feet. You don't want them to die from exhaustion after all they have been through. How about we celebrate and talk tomorrow?"

"No, tomorrow there will be other things to attend too," dismissed the idea Alexander and Jared could swear that a whirlwind of the new plans was already forming in the king's mind. "Hephaistion, you'll have to find them the most luxurious apartments close to my own, then I want to reshuffle the brides, we have to find two for them from the Persian nobility, and somebody has to arrange for the suitable wardrobe, and personal servants. This time you are not running away from me in just two days, right?" and Alexander looked at Jared in hope.

"Nope, it's a prolonged visit, unless you get tired of us," confirmed Jared.

"Good," nodded the king and looked at Damian. Then he screwed up his eyes appraising the man before him and turned his attention to Hephaistion, "Maybe you are right. The historian looks tired. And I also forgot that you had just a few hours to sleep last night. How about I dismiss you now and you take Gavalos to your suite. I am sure one of your pages will be happy to vacate a place for him, and tomorrow you can make all the arrangements. Laertes and I will spend some time talking; there is a lot to catch up. I promise the moment I see his eyes closing, I tuck him personally into bed. Happy now?"

"Alexander," Hephaistion tried to dissuade the king but Jared intervened, "It's all right, I can manage a few more hours. Just take care of Gavalos." Hephaistion silently nodded and took a step in Damian's direction. "Let's go, it's just a few steps to my own quarters, I'll have my people pamper you."

Jared watched Hephaistion and Damian go, pushing uneasy thoughts away from his mind. The first days after they shared their secret with Damian could have been described as hilarious if only Deirdre's death didn't overshadow them. The surgeon was absolutely sure that they were making fun of him and only when Colin said "I swear by Deirdre's memory that it's true," Damian made some effort to consider the matter seriously.

"If what you told me was really true, how could you hide it from the whole world? Didn't you think that people had the right to know?" seriously asked Damian.

"Now you sound like a journalist, not a doctor," Colin shook his head. "We considered that possibility but we were afraid that we would never bring Jared back and Alexander would never see Hephaistion again. There would be one international committee upon other international committee upon yet another committee, endless discussions and useless solutions. I am sure that we made the right decision."

Damian thought for a moment and then said, "Maybe you did or maybe you didn't."

"What do you mean?" with interest asked Oliver.

"If you made the right decision, why did another set of those stones turn up immediately after Jared came back? And, Jared, don't take it personally, but doesn't it look to all of you that Jared's refusal to go back forced somebody to kill Deirdre and put me on the scene? Who knows, maybe the idea was, if Jared still was unwilling to go, then I would?"

Jared fidgeted uncomfortably on his seat. Despite the fact that Oliver and unfortunately to the lesser degree Colin tried to persuade him that Deirdre's death was just an unfortunate coincidence, he couldn't get rid of the idea that it was staged to force him to go back to Alexander or, in case of his refusal, made Damian go.

"I don't see how Jared being at Alexander's side would profit or help anybody?" commented Colin.

"Maybe it's not about Jared but about Hephaistion," clarified Damian.

"What do you mean?" Colin felt confused.

"Maybe the point of exchange at Siwah was to take Hephaistion away from Alexander's side. Maybe somebody wanted to give Alexander a free hand, an ability to do what he really wanted to do, what he was destined to do." 

"What kind of a nonsense is that?" Colin was truly shocked. He abruptly jumped from the chair he was sitting on and rushed in Damian's direction, indignation and fury written all over his face.

The doctor remained impassive to the actor's outburst. "Your view of Alexander, Hephaistion and all the others is clouded because of the roles you played or movie you created. Mine is not. I think Alexander wasn't a homosexual, he probably even wasn't a bisexual; the circumstances pushed him in that direction."

"The circumstances?" angrily asked Colin. "What do any circumstances have to do with Alexander's sexual preferences? How is this even relevant?"

"Yes, the circumstances," calmly continued Damian. "His parents were always fighting over him; both Philip and Olympia were poisoning his heart with hatred and doubt. He fell for Hephaistion as a ship for a safe harbor during the unrelenting storm and he never wanted to leave. I can understand that. And with Bagoas he was just following the habits of the Persian kings whom he desperately tried to emulate. The eunuch changed nothing but if Alexander had never met Hephaistion, he would get married early, produce an heir or two and by the time of his death his empire wouldn't collapse. Maybe the history of the mankind would be quite different."

"Quite different? How?" Jared quietly asked.

"I don't know," Damian shrugged his shoulders, "Less wars and hatred, less meaningless deaths, less destructions."

"I can't believe you are so naive!" Colin exclaimed, "Alexander died when he was only thirty three, even if he got married before he left Macedon, his son, if he begot any son, would be just a teenager, and we all know what happened to teenagers who suddenly became kings in Macedon."

"Yes and no," Damian persisted with his idea, "first, it is possible that under different circumstances Alexander would live longer, second …."

"Are you now saying that Hephaistion caused Alexander's untimely death?" menacingly interrupted Colin. Both Jared and Oliver, quite perplexed by the turn of this conversation and Damian's point of view remained mostly silent, exchanging worried looks from time to time.

"Not on purpose, of course," explained Damian. "I do believe that Hephaistion had Alexander's best interests in his mind and heart."

"Nonsense! Bullshit! You're talking trash!" Colin continued to fume pacing nervously between his chair and Damian. "Following your logic, I don't see how 'they', whoever 'they' are, put you in our path if you hate Hephaistion so much!"

"I don't hate Hephaistion at all," despite remaining convinced in his point of view, Damian started to regret that he made his opinion known, "I am just trying to figure out the purpose of this whole meddling thing. There should be some purpose, right? I can't fathom any purpose in Jared and Hephaistion switching places for the three days; can you? I think they were supposed to stay in different time – Hephaistion in ours and Jared in Alexander's. Of course Alexander wouldn't take Hephaistion's sudden disappearance easily; Jared was the next best thing to reconcile Alexander to the life without Hephaistion. It is logical to assume that Alexander would marry Stateira when he was back from Egypt not after India."

"No," contradicted Jared, "she was some ten years old at that time; I asked Alexander why he didn't marry Darius' daughter after he took the Great King's family prisoners."

"Very well, one mystery solved," conceded Damian, "as you may know there wasn't any consensus about the exact age of Darius' children. Did you by any chance ask him what happened to Darius' son?"

"No, I didn't. Why do you ask?"

"I am just curious."

"Curious because you are so sure that you'll accompany Jared to his reunion with Alexander?" asked Colin.

"Do you already regret that you told me everything?"

"I started to have my doubts, yes," confirmed Colin. "I will be forever indebted to you for saving my life, that's goes without saying. But maybe it's better if you stay here and Jared goes alone."

Damian said nothing but shook his head in disagreement.

"According to your own theory," now it was Colin who took charge of where the conversation was going, "Jared was supposed to join Alexander alone. I don't want to risk the situation that you are going together with him only to get rid of Hephaistion."

"I am not going to get rid of Hephaistion, don't be silly. In any case, by the time we get there, Hephaistion won't have a long time to live."

"Neither would Alexander," gloomily reminded Jared.

"I intend to change that," seriously announced Damian. "I don't think saving Colin's life was the only purpose of me being brought in the whole situation. I hope that you can see that it stands to logic that I go together with Jared and save Alexander's life. Otherwise, what's the point?"

"How are you going to do that?" asked Oliver. "I mean, how do you hope to save Alexander's life? Nobody knows for sure why he died. Without modern means of diagnostic and medicine, you will be powerless."

"Are you sure that nothing can go through?" asked Damian.

"Yes," confirmed Jared. "Alexander gave me some presents; they disappeared when I returned to our time. I am sure that the same happened to the things that were given to Hephaistion."

"Well, then I have to rely on my own ingenuity or our ability to catch the poisoner in time, if Alexander was really poisoned. I never thought that I would say that, but now I really hope that he was poisoned, it will make our task easier, I think. In any case, I have to refresh my knowledge of all the theories of Alexander's death and get as prepared as I possibly can."

"If you really want to go, you have to include Hephaistion's death in your crash course. You are not going anywhere without swearing that you'll try to save both their lives," stubbornly added Colin.

Damian pressed his lips. "You still don't want to consider the possibility that Alexander will be better off without his shadow? Think about it. Roxana got pregnant right after Hephaistion's death. If the Chiliarch lives, Alexander may never visit her bed again."

"This is nonsense," interjected Oliver after remaining silent for the most part of the discussion. "Roxana was pregnant before, she just miscarried. There is no reason to think that Alexander is going to repudiate her because Hephaistion is still around. Besides, remember, Alexander wanted his and Hephaistion's children to be cousins; if not by Roxana, he would definitely try to get children by Stateira, and it will be far more advantageous for his son and heir to be the grandson of Darius than Oxyartes."

"As far as I remember most experts are in agreement that Hephaistion died from typhoid; if this was indeed the case I can do nothing to help him without modern medicine. People either survive typhoid on their own or need certain antibiotics which I won't have. It's possible that he was getting better and then stupidly ate that chicken and drank a jug of wine."

"Or somebody got upset with his recovery and slip him poison into that chicken," said Jared.

"Yes, if he was poisoned in the first place," agreed Damian, "but in that case my expertise won't be needed. All we have to do is to keep Hephaistion a company while Alexander is away during the celebrations. However you miss my point, I still think we have to let Hephaistion die and let Alexander recover from his loss and prevent his own death."

"I don't understand you, I don't understand you at all," Colin shook his head in disbelieve, "how can you even suggest such a thing? How can you think that any of us will go with your plan?"

"I hope that you'll eventually agree with my reasoning. Don't you see? If Hephaistion was to disappear in Egypt, by the time Alexander returned from India, the memory of his former lover would be just a pale shadow, one among many who were there no more. Alexander would never drink himself to death."

"Now you are saying that Alexander drank himself to death. All because of a lover who was a nobody, an impediment to Alexander's glorious future?"

"I said no such thing. If you wish, I say no more about it. I have no problem going there and doing my best to save both Alexander's and Hephaistion's lives. I am a doctor, after all. I just think it's a mistake. You can't see past your infatuation with Hephaistion. I understand that he managed to impress you during his stay here; it's a pity that you are letting your personal feelings stand in a way of a bigger picture."

That day the conversation was left in limbo. They all proceeded under the presumption that Jared and Damian would go together back to the Alexander's times. They convinced themselves that there must have been a reason why the stones worked on Damian and the only reason they could have think of was that Damian was to join Jared.

Damian, on his own part, couldn't understand why they all refused to see his point of view. He truly had nothing against Hephaistion, he even was eager to meet the guy and see for himself why Alexander was so smitten with him. It couldn't be just the looks. It couldn't be just sex despite what the famous expression about Hephaistion's thighs implied. There must be something else. Was Alexander only great on the battlefield but weak and malleable on a personal level? Then why Hephaistion and not, say, Ptolemy or Perdiccas? What Alexander would really be capable of without Hephaistion around? What unimaginable boundaries would he reach? Would he live longer and conquer Arabia, Northern Africa, modern Italy and Spain? Would the Roman Empire never exist and successors of Alexander's blood rule the known world for many centuries expanding his empire further to where now China, Russia and all of Europe are?

"What's your real name?" Hephaistion asked Damian quietly in English.

"Damian," answered the doctor. "Do you still remember the language?"

"Strange, isn't it?" mused the general. "Especially considering the fact that I never had to learn it. Your Greek is quite well also. When I returned I taught Alexander a couple of words in your language but I think he forgot them by now. So much time has passed; we never thought we would see Jared again. Where did you find those bracelets? Deirdre and I checked all the shops and came back empty handed."

"Remember Neil?"

"The guy who played Perdiccas?"

"I am impressed. Yes, he is the one."

"So?"

"He liked your idea about giving Jared the bracelet as a present. He looked to buy him one and found those stones at some shop, enough for four bracelets. I came into the whole story later."

"How?" asked Hephaistion, entering his suite.

"I'll tell you later," said Damian pretending to examine the surroundings. Hephaistion didn't insist and took the opportunity to give the instructions to his pages to temporary install his new acquaintance in his rooms.

"I thought Alexander would give you grander accommodations, considering your closeness and your status of Chiliarch," absent mindedly noticed Damian.

"He gave me a whole palace in this city but it's not convenient to run to and fro despite the closeness of the both buildings. And I don't spend a lot of time here," explained Hephaistion not taking the bait.

"I understand," nodded Damian in a fake agreement, "you probably spend your days in never ending councils arranging for the mass wedding and nights at Alexander's bedroom. I just can't figure out how Bagoas fits in a whole picture? Why we found him in the King's bed when we arrived?"

"What kind of a historian are you if you are not aware of the simple facts of Alexander's life?" visibly unaffected asked Hephaistion despite the quickly growing resentment towards this new 'friend' that Jared brought along.

Damian swallowed hard cursing the slip of tongue. It was not his intention to start the visit by making Hephaistion his enemy but he was a bit affronted by the fact that Alexander sent him away with his lover keeping the Jared's company alone.

"It came out very rude, I didn't mean it," he apologized hastily. "New language, you know. Besides, I'm really very tired. We could have stayed for a night in the nearby village but Jared pushed forward. I am still angry with him for that and I had projected my frustration with him on you. In my mind, he is Hephaistion too."

"I wonder how often I am going to hear that excuse," sounding good naturedly chuckled Hephaistion, his acrimony well hidden inside. "Come, your bath must be ready by now."

"So quickly?" Damian asked, surprised.

"It was kept warm for my return," explained Hephaistion guiding his guest to the bath room. Damian entered first and whistled. It was not a bathtub as he expected but a small pool filled with steaming water; intricately laid stairs lead to the bottom and perfume and oil bottles decorated the rim of the enclosure. There were tiles everywhere, various shades of milky white, blue and pale green. There were two low couches, one stacked with towels and a richly decorated robe and another that looked more like a massage table. A couple of pages, definitely of Persian origin, were in attendance.

Damian nervously coughed. "I don't think I need all this. I hoped for something simpler."

"Sorry, it's all I have to offer," smiled Hephaistion and looked at Damian as if expecting further instructions. In the meantime more pages came, bringing bowls of fruits, sweets and wine and lining them alongside the pool.

"Can I be left alone?" hesitantly asked Damian. "I am not used to that sort of attention."

"Very well," agreed Hephaistion and nodded to the pages. All of them left the area except one page that approached the doctor and gave him a beautiful silver bell. "Ring it if you need anything. If not, I will be waiting outside to show you to your bed." Then the page respectfully bowed his head and disappeared behind the curtains.

"You can leave your dirty clothes on the floor, and please be careful not to slip on the tiles. I will be leaving now and we probably won't see each other till the end of tomorrow. Nobody is going to bother you in my apartments. I'll have my people to bring you breakfast in the morning or whenever you wake up. I have a eunuch who is a historian himself and almost a native of this city. He'll show you around tomorrow, I am sure you'll enjoy his company."

"You have a eunuch too?" Damian stupidly smiled and blinked his eyes several times.

"Some historian!" Hephaistion snorted and left not looking back.


	10. Book of Tripolis, Ch 3 Susa

Title: Alexander Revisited

Disclaimer # 1: I am fully aware that the movie with the same title exists (on DVD); this story was born out of that movie but took a turn to AU where it would reside with no intention of coming into a conflict with the original creation.

Disclaimer # 2: This story is a pure fiction. I don't know the real people involved; anything they do and say in my story has nothing to do with the actual lives of those people.

A/N - Thank you, my wonderful friends, who read and commented on the chapters that I already posted. My special regards to those who commented for the first time and who added this story to their favorites and story alert. It would be also wonderful to hear the thoughts of those who read the story but didn't voice their opinion yet. Thank you all.

_Susa, 324 BC_

Damian woke up and laid in grey semi darkness for some time, his thoughts flowing in different directions. He didn't know what time it was and how long he was asleep but he felt fresh and rested. The doctor outstretched his right arm and his fingers touched the thick wool tapestry hanging on the wall. He probed further but the wall went in all directions which made him realize that the bed stood against the wall. He then turned around and saw some light sipping though what appeared to be evenly spaced rectangular holes in some sort of the door. He sat on the bed and tentatively put his feet on the floor. To his relief the floor was covered by thick carpet, so he stood up and ventured to take some steps. He came to the doors and pushed them in the middle. Two halves of the door swung open and he found himself on the threshold of another room rather brightly lighted with torches and oil lamps.

A teenage boy appeared immediately from behind the curtain. Damian didn't remember him from yesterday but the newcomer introduced himself as Perseus, Hephaistion's page on duty and said he was completely briefed by the chiliarch about Damian and his friend who stayed with the king. He sounded very business like and self-assured, confidence and experience were quite evident in his behavior. He took him to the closet that appeared to be the Persian version of the modern bathroom complete with shining silver mirrors and unexpectedly fluffy cotton towels. Damian remembered the luxuries of his previous evening bath and chuckled. The main rooms of Hephaistion's suite were simple and almost austere, but there were some hidden gems shining with taste and luxury, and Damian mused whether it was by coincidence or devise.

A several suits of clothes were brought to the doctor to choose from and then Perseus asked if he would like to have his breakfast in a company of Frada, Hephaistion's trusted eunuch. Damian remembered what the chiliarch told him yesterday and nodded his consent proceeding to choose the attire that would fit him and made him comfortable. It was February of the modern calendar, one of the nicest months to be in Susa, the winter capital of Persian kings, sheltered by mountain ranges from the cold winds of the north; for the same reason the city was unbearable in the summer months when one could bake barley cakes by simply leaving them outside during the day.

"Do you need any help in choosing your wardrobe?" an unfamiliar voice made Damian turn and stare, somewhat impolitely, at the newcomer. He was nicely built and physically fit; an average height man in his early forties. He wore, as Damian thought, a typically Persian costume of rather baggy trousers with some sort of long sleeved caftan and a sleeveless overall on top that almost reached his knees. The whole outfit was of warm brownish color with patches of honey touched yellow and dark orange patterns. A couple of simple gold rings adorned his slender and artistic looking fingers and a gold chain with some sort of medallion dangled on his neck. His skin wore a permanent sign of tan on already dark base, black inquisitive eyes were framed by finely shaped eyebrows. He had brown hair of shoulder length, curly and unadorned, though Damian suspected they were kept in order by some type of strings or clasps that were invisible due to their matching color. The newcomer was cleanly shaven and despite his obvious oriental origin it looked like he was accustomed to having no facial hair. That made his identification easier to Damian.

"You must be Frada, Hephaistion's eunuch," said Damian making effort not to show any negative subtones in his voice.

"Yes, indeed," Frada politely bowed and clicked his fingers in somebody's direction. Damian silently watched as couple of servants brought several small tables and started to stack them with plates of food and jars of wine and water.

"I see that General Hephaistion has a lot of people at his beg and serve," trying to sustain a conversation pointed out Damian.

"Of course," in a far friendlier manner confirmed the eunuch, "he is the Chiliarch, second only to the King; he has a lot of people who help him in various areas to perform his numerous duties."

"And in what area do you help?" asked Damian; this time there was no subtlety in the tone of his voice.

Frada sincerely laughed revealing the set of incredulously white and healthy teeth. He pointed with his hand to one of the couches inviting Damian to sit and gracefully lowered himself onto another one. Then, as if nothing happened, he took a couple of shelled almonds from a small tray and popped them into his mouth. He then shot his index finger upward and pointedly swung it from right to left several times reproachfully clicking his tongue.

"I thought that a friend of General Hephaistion would know that eunuchs serve in different areas, and its master's bedroom is just one of many. This is not my task, however. I advise him on history, politics and customs of the kingdoms that our beloved king Alexander conquers."

"Our?" asked Damian disregarding the reproach.

"Yes, I was with general for a long enough time to call King Alexander that. I joined Hephaistion retinue when the King's Army stayed in Damascus. He is quite a fascinating man with lots of interests and facets to his character. When he learned that you were a historian as well, he thought I would be the best person to show you around. How about you finish your breakfast and I show you what city of Susa has to offer. It's a beautiful place and though we don't have time today for a trip to the mountains, you will see that they serve as a magnificent backdrop to the palaces and other buildings."

"Yes, Hephaistion mentioned yesterday about you being almost native to this city. I am sure you would be an excellent guide but I don't have time for sightseeing. I would like to rejoin the company of my friend Laertes immediately after this breakfast."

"I understand your intentions but we have a number of hours before it would be wise to do so. Just recently General Hephaistion returned from the king's quarters and he was very angry. Despite his promise, Alexander kept your friend up all the night regaling him with his stories and his questions. When General Hephaistion showed up they were still talking. I understand that he had to stay in the bedroom and wait till both of them fell asleep."

Damian allowed himself to relax and smiled imagining Hephaistion standing over Jared and Alexander lecturing them that it was past their bed time and they have stop gossiping and go to sleep. "It would make nice headlines in the present day tabloids," thought the doctor savoring an amazing taste of honey preserved apricots slowly melting in his mouth.

"I can't eat so many sweets in the morning," said Damian at last and pushed away the small bowl that contained another delicacy – sweet cherries with nuts instead of pits floating in a thick sherbet drizzled with cinnamon powder. "I don't know about you but I have to watch my waistline. I think I am going to take you on your offer of going for a stroll in a city, given the fact that I can't visit Laertes now."

"Just one more thing to try before we leave, General Hephaistion gave special orders to prepare this drink for you in the morning," said Frada indicating to yet another invisible servant to bring something for the guest.

Damian suspiciously followed with his eyes an elegant ceramic drinking cup, steam raising from the unknown liquid inside it. Vaguely familiar aroma filled the space and Damian stared in surprise on the brownish liquid inside the piala when it was placed before him.

"What is it?" suspiciously asked Damian and looked at Frada.

The eunuch smiled and responded, "My lord Hephaistion said you might enjoy it. He drinks it himself sometimes. He said Laertes' friend Dardara, I am not sure I pronounce the name correctly, introduced him to it."

"You meant Deirdre?" Damian asked, surprised.

"Yes, that's the name. He tried to make King Alexander drink it but it's my understanding he didn't like it. If you can't drink it that hot I suggest you put some sherbet inside to cool it. The ice for this sherbet brought from the mountains and stored in the special jars. The late Great Kings enjoyed the many tastes of sherbet that our cooks made for them but it seems that King Alexander finds the taste unpleasant."

Damian took a little scoop of sherbet and cautiously put it into the piala. "I think I know what it is," said Damian and tried a sip. The taste of strong chicory brew invaded his mouth. The doctor almost purred enjoying the experience. The early cold mornings without the coffee were one of the many tortures that Damian and Jared had to endure during their journey from Siwah to Susa and this brew, though just a substitute to the real thing, was a pleasant surprise. It was nice of Hephaistion to try and make their stay more pleasant providing them with those things that he thought they both would miss from their time.

Suddenly in a good mood, Damian felt more far more eager to explore Susa in Frada's company. He even didn't feel discouraged when he realized that instead of the nice stroll the eunuch intended to show the city to Damian from the horse back.

The weather was wonderful and the spring awakening was definitely in the air. "Alexander chose a perfect location and excellent timing for the wedding ceremonies," thought Damian listening to the very interesting and eloquent explanations that eunuch gave about the city in general and those parts that they were passing by in particular. He was a very skillful speaker and quite sure and knowledgeable about the things he was talking about.

"No wonder that Hephaistion picked him up as his advisor in local matters," thought to himself Damian and loudly said, "I am sorry if I offended you with my previous question about the services you provided to Hephaistion." The doctor tried to come up with some logical excuse for his earlier behavior and was himself surprised with the explanation that he put forward.

"You see, both Laertes and I, we keep Hephaistion in the highest respect and think that he is completely irreplaceable at the king's side but King Alexander sometimes forgets about it. We were very upset when the rumors about Bagoas sharing Alexander's bed instead of Hephaistion reached our ears. It's not our place to judge but Alexander obviously made a mistake following the habit of Great Kings of Persia having young eunuch warming his bed. Yesterday when we came, Perdiccas hinted at some rift between Alexander and Hephaistion and when we arrived to the King's bedroom we found Bagoas there."

"You don't think that General Hephaistion would be jealous of this nobody?" somewhat aloof asked Frada.

"We didn't know what to think," honestly answered Damian. "We hoped the rumors were false."

"Is it the reason why you came for the visit after so many years?" asked the eunuch.

"No, of course not," responded the Damian. "But I have to admit in my country eunuchs don't exist unless it happens by some unfortunate accident. I've heard of course of this, allow me to say, pervert habit of Persian Kings and nobility to castrate young boys for their own carnal pleasures, and then threw them away to the streets or pass to the lowly brothels. The boys can't be blamed, of course, but what some of them do to survive makes me sick."

"And what would you do if the same was done to you at the young age?" asked Frada without betraying any feelings.

"I don't know. I might have killed myself."

"Only because you consider it a pervert habit. If it would be a norm in your society you wouldn't think about it in the same way."

"You are probably right. But I never was aware that some eunuchs became so well educated and knowledgeable as you apparently you are."

"Did you ever hear about Bagoas? Another Bagoas, from the time of King Artaxerxes III?"

"Oh yes," responded Damian now happy that Colin took it on himself to force feed him Ancient Persian history as well. "He was that Egyptian rogue who eeled himself into the graces of that King and then poisoned him because he mocked some Egyptian deity. Being a eunuch he couldn't ascent the throne himself so he placed on the empty throne a weak youngster, Artaxerxes IV, the son of the previous king. Soon after he poisoned him as well and made another King, Darius III. But there his luck ran out. Darius wanted to rule himself and he had a lot of nobles who supported him and who were sick of the Egyptian kingmaker. When Bagoas plotted to poison Darius as well, his intentions were betrayed to Darius who invited the eunuch to his presence and suggested to share a cup of wine with him. The treacherous eunuch immediately recognized the cup, he put there poison himself, but he had no choice; it was either to drink the poison or be subjected to the unspeakable tortures. Of course the cowardly eunuch chose the poison. I am surprised that the King Alexander, who is known for his superstitions, took into his bed a eunuch with the same name."

"King Alexander doesn't believe in a bad luck and always turns what others consider a bad omen into the most propitious augury. And your story of the other Bagoas is mostly a lie concocted by the courtiers of King Darius to hide their own misdeeds."

"I hope I didn't offend you again somehow. After all, each person makes his own destiny, regardless of the name given to him by his parents or physical attributes given to him by the gods or forced on him by other men. I would like to hear the true story of that Bagoas and also to know what happened to your. Rest assured, when I return to my own country, I won't spread any lies like those that are told about Bagoas."

"Very well, as a historian, I can understand your interest and your desire to correct the wrong information when you encounter one. We don't have time now for the both stories, which one you want to hear first?" asked Frada.

Damian decided to be polite and asked the eunuch to tell him about himself first.

"Very well," agreed Frada. "Believe it or not, I came from very powerful families on both my mother's and father's side. My maternal grandmother came from a very old and distinguished house but unfortunately only two of her children, my mother and my uncle reached the adulthood. As a result my mother was married into a very wealthy and prominent family with close ties to the throne. A couple of months after the marriage my mother traveled with her husband to his estate. During one of the legs of the journey, they had to leave the Persian Royal road that was very safe to travel, and despite being heavily guarded, the caravan was ambushed and attacked. My father was killed and my mother was taken prisoner. Some of the soldiers were able to escape the butchery and brought the grim news to both families.

In no time a search party was assembled and the local troops dispatched to track the offenders. They were hunted down and massacred but my mother's reputation suffered as a result. She was raped during her captivity and though it was not her fault, she had to suffer. Still, because my mother came from a very, very powerful family, they forced the younger brother of her slain husband to take her as a wife. Then I was born and my paternal uncle who now was also my stepfather refused to recognize me as part of the family let alone his successor. He now became the head of his clan and took a couple of young wives, all from the noble families with pure reputation. My mother withered in grief and sorrow and died when I was around seven years old. I was still fed and taken a good care of and treated well despite everything. My maternal uncle took me to his estates from time to time and taught me how to ride, to hunt but also to read and write, history, languages.

My stepfather didn't protest because, you see, at that time I started to look like a mirror image of my father though nobody would say that out loud. My stepfather, whose name was Artabardes, even started thinking about making me his official heir because all his wives were either barren or gave birth to girls only. Then he took another wife with a royal name of Atossa who, though very distantly related, was indeed from the Achemenid stock. Her family didn't want to have a rival to their future offsprings. I was eleven years old at that time, they had me kidnapped and castrated to eliminate me as a threat and then returned me to my stepfather. I was useless to him now as an heir but he took even better care of me because he was afraid of the punishment that my other uncle could bring on him. He even found those who castrated me and executed the responsible, including the younger brother of his new wife.

But a year later his new wife bore him a son, then another one. Despite that my maternal uncle was afraid that Atossa's family would seek my death and he took me under his roof though Artabardes wished me to stay with him. I had the best education ever possible. Then my uncle made me to travel and see the world. I've been to many glorious cities of the Persian kingdom, to Egypt, and then I journeyed north and actually went in the opposite direction of Alexander's conquest. Only I didn't cross into Macedonia but traveled by the north shore of what you, Greeks, call Euxeinos Pontos, visited Bosporian Kingdom and stayed in Phasis. I returned to my uncle's houses in Susa and Babylon several times but he never insisted that I'd stay for the long time and didn't want me to be introduced to the Royal Court despite his influence there. He told me I was better off traveling, even considering all the dangers that it involved.

At the time I was surprised that he didn't want me to become part of the political games that he played and at which he was quite adept but I understood his motives later. I just celebrated my 31st birthday at the house of my guest friend in Athens and it was my second visit to the city. I got the news that my uncle died and then I was truly on my own. No family to speak of and no friends to rely upon. I continued with my travels and visited the city of Syracuse on the island of Sikelia and also Carthage. I happened to be in Damascus when Alexander's Army arrived there. Then I met Hephaistion."

"How?" asked Damian quite taken by the eunuch's tale.

"Did you hear about Abdalonymus, the king of Sidon?"

"Yes, of course, it was Hephaistion who made him a King."

"Well, Alexander made him a King but you are right, it was Hephaistion who found him and recommend him as a new king of Sidon. The most unusual choice, I have to admit, but incredibly wise one. As you know before becoming a King he was just a gardener. Flowers were, and I can tell you still are, his big love and passion. It so happened that the my house in Damascus had a wonderful garden with incredible and rare flowers and trees. Not that it's a passion of mine but I employ people who like and know what they are doing. Hephaistion heard about my garden and came for a visit. He wanted to send some presents from my garden to Abdalonymus. We started to talk and the subject of our conversation quickly took turn from flowers to travels. When Alexander's army was leaving Damascus Hephaistion suggested that I join them. I agreed hesitantly but the lure of further travels and Hephaistion's attitude towards me were the tipping point in my decision. For certain reasons I didn't have any warm feelings towards King Darius and though I still prefer much more the company of General Hephaistion then King Alexander, I never regretted my choice."

"Yours is a very unusual and fascinating story," admitted Damian, "I am glad you decided to share it with me though I am a little surprised because I am a complete stranger to you."

"That's true," agreed Frada, "but many know my story, and it's not a secret. I hoped that by knowing who I am, you would treat me with the respect that I deserve. General Hephaistion doesn't like when people whom he trusts belittled by others. Especially when these others try to profess themselves as his friends. Now, I think it's time when we can come back to the palace. I hope the King and your friend Laertes are awake by now. I am quite hungry and I am sure you are as well. Besides, there is a small party organized to celebrate your arrival, I am sure you want to look your best."

Damian checked the sun. It was around 3 o'clock in the afternoon. He smiled remembering how he was able to show off to Jared his ability to tell day time by the sun and evening and night by the moon and stars. Jared was quite helpless without his watch or his blackberry but Damian fell back on his skill acquired during his own emergency travels, the details of which he couldn't not, of course, share with Frada, to somewhat of his regret, realized the doctor with surprise.

The eunuch was quite familiar with the royal palace and he was recognized as well by Persians and Macedonians alike. They were allowed without any hindrance into the inner chambers of Alexander's quarters and were brought to the same massive door that Jared opened so impetuously in previous evening. One of the guards on duty came to Frada and whispered something quietly into the eunuch's ear. Damian was watching him closely but whatever it was, Frada's face remained impassive. "He is not so alien to the habits of Royal Court, whosever that Court might be," thought Damian.

"The King left his chambers just recently to attend to the matters of state but your friend Laertes still enjoys his hospitality and you are mostly welcomed to join him," and with those words Frada opened the door. "I am however afraid that I must leave you for some time. General Leonnatus will be joining you any moment now and he will take care of all your needs until King or his Chiliarch returns." Frada slightly bowed in Damian's direction and left the doctor to proceed on his own. Not quite sure what to make of this development, Damian thanked the eunuch and entered the huge bedroom.

Not much changed from what Damian was able to see yesterday evening though he found the amount of pillows and cushions thrown all over the floor excessively ridiculous. But his whole body froze when he saw the slender back of Bagoas rhythmically rising and falling in the bed.

"What the Hell?" roared Damian without thinking and run in the direction of the royal bed. He shoved Bagoas rudely off Jared and the eunuch, despite all his grace and nimbleness, fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Jared turned his head and stared at Damian with reproach. "What is the matter with you, Gavalos? Can't I enjoy some relaxing massage after a long and exhausting journey?" Bagoas in meantime got up on his feet and started to rub an elbow which he hurt during the fall. He had the same straight black hairs as Francisco only he wasn't wearing them that long. He looked even more androgynous than the Spanish dancer and vividly reminded Damian of Jaye Davidson who played god Ra in the Hollywood blockbuster "Stargate". He was definitely very beautiful and very exotic but Damian could discern the same malicious glint in his eyes that Davidson portrayed so artfully in the movie. The doctor also realized that Bagoas wasn't naked but dressed in some gauzy fabric heavily embroidered in certain places to hide his private parts. His hands, slender but probably very strong were void of any jewelry but he was boasting a thick gold choker studded with lapis lazuli.

"What you were thinking?" continued with his accusation Damian though he realized by now that he misinterpreted the scene.

"What you were thinking?" repeated the phrase Jared shaking his head. "Really, Gavalos, give me some credit." He turned around and sat on the bed, gold threaded duvet still covering the lower parts of his body. Bagoas remained silent as if he was still serving the Great King.

The situation was saved by Leonnatus who burst into the chambers, and completely ignoring Bagoas whom he despised and Damian whom he didn't know, opened his arms to embrace Jared. Then he ruffled the actors hair and shoved him playfully back into the bed.

"You son of a bitch, after all those years! I thought Perdiccas was drunk when he brought the news yesterday. Now, look at you! Not only you didn't age for a moment coming back almost ten years later but you also start your morning enjoying a massage from a royal nymph in a King's bed. Gods definitely love you and I am going to force you to reveal your secret!"

"Can I dress first?" asked Jared absolutely not perplexed by this tirade.

"Yes, of course," and Leonnatus matter-of-factly snapped his fingers in Bagoas' direction. Eunuch silently brought forward clothes prepared for Jared and disappeared back into the shadows. Jared started to dress completely indifferent to the initial state of nakedness in which he emerged from the bedspreads.

"You must be Gavalos, Laertes' friend," Leonnatus switched his attention from Jared to Damian. "Nice to meet you, I am Leonnatus, one of the King's bodyguards and also his friend. I trust you had a nice night in Hephaistion's quarters and later enjoyed the tour of the city? How was Frada?"

"Thank you, nice to meet you too. Frada was very helpful." Damian was trying to behave and sound at ease which he managed with far less success then Jared. "It's amazing," thought doctor to himself, "he knew all those people for only three or four days seven years ago and yet they all behave as if they were the best buddies from their childhood."

"Who is Frada?" asked Jared fixing his attire.

"He is a Persian noble who joined Hephaistion's staff years ago. He really knows things around here and you can fully trust his judgment and knowledge though I still hesitant to trust his drinks."

"What's wrong with his drinks?" Asked Jared, "does he cut the wine too strong?"

"Oh no, not that," chuckled Leonnatus, "did he tell you his pedigree?" and the General turned to Damian.

"He told me a rather sad story about his life before he met Hephaistion," confirmed the doctor. He was surprised that Leonnatus didn't point out to Jared that Frada was a eunuch, just as Bagoas. He realized that the General hold Frada in far higher respect that he hold Bagoas.

"Did he tell you about his uncle?" insisted Leonnatus. "His famous uncle?"

"I think his one uncle was a man called Artabardes, who also at some point became his step father. He was some distant relation to the royal family. I don't know his other uncle's name, I think he was some sort of courtier."

"Some sort of courtier!" Leonnatus snorted and laughed almost hysterically. "He was the infamous Bagoas, the all mighty eunuch and chiliarch of Artaxerxes III, the kingmaker and the poisoner of the two Great Kings and who knows of how many princes!"


	11. Book of Tripolis, Ch 4 Susa

Title: Alexander Revisited

Disclaimer # 1: I am fully aware that the movie with the same title exists (on DVD); this story was born out of that movie but took a turn to AU where it would reside with no intention of coming into a conflict with the original creation.

Disclaimer # 2: This story is a pure fiction. I don't know the real people involved; anything they do and say in my story has nothing to do with the actual lives of those people.

A/N - Thank you, my wonderful friends, who read and commented on the chapters that I already posted. My special regards to those who commented for the first time or added this story to their favorites and alerts. It would be also wonderful to hear the thoughts of those who read the story but didn't voice their opinion yet. Thank you all.

Warning (conventional) – in this chapter Alexander and Hephaistion at last got some quality time together. Though most is left to readers' imagination, it is still a description of m/m relationship. If you are not comfortable with it, please don't read.

Warning (unconventional) – also in this chapter Jared got to dress up without any restrains to his imagination or the money involved. I hope you can handle it stoically.

_Susa, 324 BC_

Damian was completely dumbfounded by what Leonnatus just told him. Now his conversation with Frada took a different meaning. He silently cursed. Less than a day in Alexander's court and he already managed to insult Hephaistion and Frada, his most probably very trusted advisor. If Jared get wind of it, he'll be mad at him, and rightly so. Why he couldn't keep his opinions to himself? After all, Jared wasn't the only one with great social skills. He successfully dealt with drug lords in South America, guerilla bandits in Africa and warlords in Central Asia, let alone the bureaucratic officials in the army and medical world. Yes, he knew how to keep his mouth shut and nod at appropriate phrases, but what always won the situation for him was his medical ingenuity and apparent recklessness for the greater good.

In a present situation, however, he didn't have these bargaining chips. He was just a quiet historian, not a dashing surgeon.

"No, absolutely not, you can't say who you really are," insisted Colin, and both Jared and Oliver firmly agreed. "Alexander and Hephaistion will right away realize that something is going to happen and you came in order to save their lives."

"So what?" Damian couldn't see the problem. "Why it is so imperative that they don't know the real reason? Do you expect them to say, 'No, we want to die', not so glorious death, by the way, for both of them, instead of being given a chance to continue with their conquests?"

"I don't know how they would react, and this is the real problem," explained Jared. "I was forced by the circumstances to tell Alexander that he would die within the year of Hephaistion, and if he learns that we are there to save general's life, he may… I don't know, panic."

"Panic? Alexander? Really, Jared, I never heard such a laughable excuse. They went so many times into the battle knowing very well that they may not see each other again, but they will panic because we came to save their lives?"

"You know very well," the actor tried to explain, "that Alexander became sort of paranoid later in his life. He suspects everyone, well, except of Hephaistion, obviously, of betrayal and treason. I don't want him to start executing everybody because they may have plotted to end Hephaistion's life. And I don't want Hephaistion to begin torturing his fellow generals because of baseless rumors that some of them may wanted to poison Alexander."

"This is so ridiculous," Damian fumed. "What do you want me to do then? I am supposed to be who?"

"Historian would be a good idea," suggested Oliver. "It will give you grounds to ask questions. It won't be suspicious, nor for Alexander and Hephaistion, neither for anybody else. Historian from another time, historian from another country. It's a perfect cover."

"The perfect cover is that I am the only one, besides Jared and Hephaistion, on whom those bracelets work. That should be more then enough. It would be so much easier if I don't have to pretend!"

However, Damian lost his battle against the united front of the three men and had to agree to become a historian. To a certain degree, he liked the challenge and this cover wasn't completely alien to him. Though he never had to hide his profession when went into any of the danger zones, he always took pains to learn as much as possible about the history, both past and current, of the people with whom he knew he would have to deal.

They moved from the king's bedroom to his anteroom and food and wine was brought for them to partake. Jared and Leonnatos chatted nonchalantly, exchanging jokes and stories, and honestly trying to involve Damian in their conversation. He mostly remained silent, brooding over the past and hardly touching any food.

"Don't worry," Leonnatos tried to encourage him, "I joked about Frada. As a matter of fact, I would trust the food and drinks from him more than from some other people."

"It's not it." Damian wanted to give a plausible excuse why he didn't have an appetite when he was stricken by the brilliant idea. He couldn't be a doctor but at least he could be a patient. Maybe it was even better. The other physician wouldn't see him as a threat.

"I am afraid that the local food doesn't sit well with my stomach. I had some problems on the way here and I think I ate too much this morning. I don't feel well." He saw a momentous flash of understanding in Jared's eyes and had to make an effort to hide his triumphant smile when he heard Leonnatos next phrase.

"You should have told us earlier," general shook his head, "but don't worry, we'll take good care of you. Perseus, come here." Hephaistion page immediately appeared as if waiting for the order.

"He is one of the best Chiliarch's pages," general introduced a young man to Jared and then said to Damian, "you already met him in the morning and he will be your personal page during you stay here. Perseus, please take Gavalos to Glaukos, he would know what to do."

"Glaukos?" uneasily asked Damian.

"Yes, he is the best doctor in the army to deal with this sort of illnesses; he has a full trust of our king and serves him faithfully. He will take a good care of you. All you have to do is to follow his instructions. I dearly hope, though, that it's nothing serious. Alexander would like you both to be part of today's banquet. Did you already choose what you are going to wear? Our dear king promised a very costly gift to the winner."

"The winner of what?' Damian asked uneasily.

"Of the best costume, of course. It should be an ideal combination of Greek perfection and Persian luxury. I've heard Laertes already made special arrangements with the king's tailors, is it true?"

"Yes," Jared smiled. "When Alexander told me about it last night, I decided to participate. I am going to blow your mind away. By the way, I am afraid we have to wrap this friendly chat, I have to do attend to the fitting. Leonnatos, my friend will be taken a good care of, right?"

"I hope you know what you are doing," cringed Damian hoping that his grimace would be taken as a sign of his troubled stomach and not as foreboding of the atrocity that Jared may have come with.

When festivities were about to start, Hephaistion went to the Alexander's chambers wishing to talk to him in private. He was about to knock at the door but one of the king's pages hurried to open it to him out of respect and habit. Hephaistion nodded his appreciation and stepped inside. The king, as if waiting for his arrival, turned to face his lover, a happy smile on his lips. Leonnatos wasn't joking when he said that the king declared a competition. As a matter of fact, Alexander's orders were very strict, one way or another, the attires of the all the invited should reflect both cultures. It was the last get-together party before the mass weddings were supposed to take place in a few days.

Alexander was wearing a purple chitoniskos unornamented except of the golden meander at the bottom but his chlamis was so heavily embroidered with gold that it was impossible to distinguish the original colour. His sandals were covered in golden dust but were of plain design. He wore three iconic pieces of jewelry. A magnificent Vergina Star fibula, her amethyst rays sparkling on the golden base; king's blond hair were hold in place by a band with royal Achemenid _xvarənah _in the center, the famous winged male figure elaborately inlaid with chalcedony and amethyst of different shades of purple and on the middle finger of his right hand Alexander wore an incredibly beautiful ring with a huge star sapphire of magnificent violet purple color.

"You look good," Hephaistion smiled benevolently. "Are you going to compete for the best attire prize?"

"No, the only prize I wish to compete for is your understanding and love," very seriously responded Alexander.

"Then may I ask with whom you are going to compete for that?" Hephaistion continued to smile, happy that their conversation didn't take some unpleasant turn.

"Apparently, with you." Alexander remained serious. "I am worried that we quarrel too much recently."

"I am worried too. Do you think it's my fault?"

"No. I never said that. I just was upset. Why did you give those orders?"

Hephaistion sighed and stepped closer to Alexander. He traced slowly the contour of king's lips with his fingertips and sighed again. Then he said, somewhat reproachfully, "You said yourself that those were good orders."

"Yes, they were. However, they were supposed to come from me, not from you."

"You made me a Chiliarch, Alexander. I thought the position involved little more than the honor of wearing golden earrings."

"You are to give orders when I am not around anymore. Until that time comes, you are to follow mine."

"I am not interested in giving orders when you are not around. Besides, remember, Patroclus dies first."

"Nonsense. I don't want to hear that any more!" Alexander angrily shouted.

The two men stared at each other. They both knew the truth but were painstakingly hiding it from one another.

"Let's not quarrel again," almost pleaded Hephaistion. Whereas Alexander simply knew from Jared that his beloved was indeed going to die first without being aware when exactly it's going to happen, the general knew that his time was short. The knowledge hung over him as the sword of Damocles and became very difficult to ignore with every passing day. He didn't want to give any indication to Alexander but the fate wasn't generous.

When Alexander announced that the winter would be spent at Ecbatana, Hephaistion ordered the Greek style celebrations to be held during their stay. It was supposed to be a nice balance to the mass weddings in Susa that were going to be held according the traditions of Persian kingdom. Alexander got mad but had the decency to berate Hephaistion in private. Hephaistion got upset; he knew it would be the last celebrations he was to take part in but he couldn't say that to Alexander. So, he pretended to get insulted and stormed out of the king's bedroom, fleeing in a fear that he might say something that would arise Alexander's suspicion.

The king, unaware of the real reason, sent a formal order to Hephaistion to attend him in a certain time. Perdiccas, caught in a cross fire, brought the orders to his friend and managed to elicit a positive response. However, when Hephaistion didn't come at the appointed time, Alexander, instead of waiting a little longer, ordered Bagoas to his chambers. In the meantime, Hephaistion sadly acknowledged to himself that if he didn't want Alexander to know about his close death, he couldn't expect his beloved to interpret his actions correctly and instead of spending precious time in quarrels, he had to swallow his pride and made the love to be the only guide of his behavior.

Hephaistion went to the king's room with full intention of making any necessary amends only to find the hated eunuch in Alexander's bed. Who knows to what level their quarrel would escalate if not for Jared's and Damian's miraculous arrival?

Alexander was the first to break the eye contact and he said with sincere regret, "I am sorry that I brought Bagoas again to my bed, I always do that when I am mad at you. I know it doesn't help, I wish I never saw him in my life."

"Let's forget about him," agreed Hephaistion. "Don't indulge too much in vine at today's celebrations, I am going to stay in your rooms tonight, and don't you dare to refuse me."

"I am not going to," happily agreed the king. He was very glad that the reconciliation happened that soon; he was so desperate to make Hephaistion to forgive him that he was even ready to ask Jared's help if necessary.

"Your Majesty, Gavalos is here," Chares announced, ushering Damian inside. "I sent Parphenos to fetch Laertes. Your friend made most of the harem eunuchs work for him, I think they weren't so happy since the time of Darius' rule. I suspect he is going to outshine everybody."

"Thank you, Chares," Alexander laughed and after the door was closed, said, "I am dying to see Jared in all his splendor. I don't know how he did it, but my own servants are refusing to betray his arrangements."

"I am sure he came up with something absolutely outrageous," absentmindedly commented Damian openly gaping at Hephaistion after giving only a cursory look to the king.

The general also wore a chitoniskos, it was of beautiful malachite color; his chlamis was shorter than Alexander's and was of pure white, as were his rather high laced sandals. He didn't have any hair ornaments but from his left ear dangled an absolutely stunning emerald; the matching brooch was holding his chlamis at the right shoulder. The green and white colors of his attire gave striking contrasting effect to his black hair and eyes. The costume was complete with rather unusual set of arm greaves of niello silver; on both middle fingers he wore matching rings of elongated form connected to the respective greaves with exquisite chains.

"So, as a new historian at my court, what is your verdict? Which one of us looks more splendid?" good naturally asked Alexander.

Damian cringed. He would declare Hephaistion an absolute winner without any second thought but what if the king didn't want to loose to his lover?

"My king," Damian said rather seriously, "there is only one Alexander in this kingdom, but shouldn't we wait for the second Hephaistion? Please don't get offended, because if you would have seen Jared in this role, you'll completely understand my unwillingness to answer your question."

Both Alexander and Hephaistion laughed; the king went to the nearby table and opened some box; he rummaged through its contents and then came back to Damian holding a beautiful gold ring with a stone of dark honey color. "I think you deserve a special prize for your clever answer. Please take this, you were too modest choosing the attire and jewelry for today's celebrations."

Damian took the ring and put it on his finger, enjoying the beauty of sophisticated cut and incredible workmanship of the present.

"By Apollo's balls!" exclaimed Hephaistion, and when Damian looked up he suddenly felt tiny cold snakes of unknown feeling slowly creeping along his spine.

Jared was standing in the middle of the room, a triumphant smile on his sensuous lips. He made the best shoemakers of the royal court to transform the high boots of the time into XVII century a-la musketeer knee boots of black leather complete with silver spurs and sky blue lace adorning the fold overs of the boots. His chitoniskos was matching blue with a military stile black leather skirt on top of it. From his waist up was black vest loosely laced to show off some type of blue shirt. On top of it was black leather jacket with numerous straps only instead of zippers it was crisscrossed with silver studs. The tight sleeves of the jacket were sewn on at the underarms but laced at the top – medieval style, allowing the blue sleeves of the shirt to be seen. The jacket had a stand up collar but it was almost hidden under Jared's hair. Gone were "Hephaistion" lovely brown tresses from the movie, instead actor's hair was raven black and straightened and cut in the style he wore for his "Beautiful Lie" album, only the tips were blue, not red. He had the decency not to put any make up and though he didn't wear a single piece of jewelry, his hands were covered with fingerless black gloves and his fingernails were colored black.

Despite the outrageous ecclecticy of his attire, Jared looked magnificent and gorgeous. His eyes shone with confidence and his posture exuded charm and aplomb at the same time. And while all three were staring at Jared, unable to move, he whistled some merry song accompanying the tune by the sturdy beats by the silver handle of the whip on the open palm of his hand.

"Jared as a dominatrix! You should have played Olympia in the movie," was all that Damian could utter.

"I hate snakes and I don't think that the late king Philip was into that sort of things." Calmly responded the actor.

"Who is dominatrix?" asked Alexander with interest. He threw his right hand around Jared's shoulders and said, "You can tell me on the way, but let's hurry, there are a lot of people who want to see you and if we tarry any longer they would drink all the wine leaving nothing to us."

Damian heard Jared's laugh and then a snickery comment that he thought better of the king's wine supply. Their voices trailed away and the doctor moved faster to catch up with them. Hephaistion closed the procession, moving silently through the corridors.

When the four got to their destination, the celebration was fully under way. There were empty couches in the place of honor waiting to them but they didn't get that far. Alexander dropped very unceremoniously on Perdiccas', Jared was immediately snatched by Leonnatos and some other guests whom Damian didn't know, and Hephaistion joined the couch of a man whom Damian mentally nicknamed "Cheshire Cat". The doctor stood uncertain for a moment when he saw a man raising a gold drinking cup in his direction. Damian decided, "What the hell, I am not an XIX century English lady waiting to be introduced, I can do it on my own", and closing the space, he sat on the couch of the man who invited him.

xxx

Alexander woke up and yawned. It was quiet in the room and there were no noises outside. Hephaistion was still sleeping, his face calm and untroubled by any of the worries that so often marred his face during the day. Alexander yawned again and pulled himself into sitting position. He was watching his sleeping lover for some time, just enjoying his presence and closeness of his body. Then he contently smiled and, leaning, mischievously blew over Hephaistion's eyelashes. The general, still asleep, cutely wrinkled his nose and flailed a hand in front of his face. Alexander stifled a laugh and blew harder. Hephaistion mumbled something unintelligible and turned around. Alexander wanted to continue with his teases but then decided against it. "I should allow him to sleep a little longer," the king reproached himself.

The last few days and nights were a real challenge and with the wedding to take place in just a few days, they had to conserve their energy. That thought, however, was very far from their minds last night. Alexander smiled again happily, remembering. He wished there would be more nights like that in their lives but he knew he was wishing for impossible. There were so many things to do, so many matters to attend, so many orders to give and so few people to trust. Actually, there was only one person whom he could trust completely and that disturbed him greatly. Hephaistion was overburdened with responsibilities and they continued to pile up.

The king frowned. He remembered how a few years ago he mindlessly taunted Hephaistion, telling him that Bagoas would relieve him of some of his duties. The stupid joke earned him a painful hit in the left shoulder and empty bed for a many cold nights. He bore the punishment stoically and just when he thought he won Hephaistion back, he succumbed to Bagoas presence and spent several nights in the company of the eunuch. Hephaistion didn't find out that time but Alexander knew that on many other occasions his lover was aware of the other man warming his king's bed. Bagoas was an addiction that Alexander tried to get rid of; so far, unsuccessfully.

Alexander sighed. If only there were more people whom he can trust, more people like Hephaistion, more…. Jared, of course! He can trust Jared, no doubt about that. If only instead of that strange historian Jared returned in the company of Colin, Oliver and Deirdre. He never met the trio, but they wouldn't betray him, would they now? He would even allow Hephaistion to marry Deirdre, he was sure his lover had a soft spot for the girl, and obviously she for him. Drypetis would be his title wife and Deirdre would be the one for his heart. Maybe he would allow himself to be jealous from time to time and even make scenes; but in the end, Deidre would be his, Alexander's, ally as well and spy on all other women in the royal harem. His mother would probably like her too, because both were redheads.

Alexander shook his head. He was such a dreamer. There was only Jared and even if he can trust this Gavalos, it will take a lot of time for these two to learn ins and outs of his constantly expanding royal court. Besides, they weren't solders and though his companions were seemingly delighted to see Jared again, none of them would tolerate if he would be officially elevated to their status. Well, unofficially then, decided Alexander. At least Hephaistion wouldn't take it the wrong way, he may even ….

"Oh…," Alexander quietly laughed and dropped on his elbow. He lightly placed the palm of his hand on Hephaistion's side and started slowly to remove the blanket replacing the warmth of the material with butterfly kisses. He felt his lover's body shudder with pleasure and thought it as a good excuse to intensify his kisses.

"I have this brilliant idea," in husky voice said Alexander when he was sure that Hephaistion was fully awake.

"I thought all your ideas were brilliant," Hephaistion slowly said savoring king's touches.

"You sound like Jared," Alexander laughed continuing with his kisses. "This one is really brilliant, believe me."

"I believe you. Please do tell, while I am still capable of understanding."

"Hmm, somebody is very horny. Didn't I satisfy you enough this night?"

"Yes, but it's not an excuse not to satisfy me again this morning. So?"

"Ah, I see." Alexander purred in pleasure when Hephaistion unexpectedly shifted and brushed with his buttocks Alexander's rather hard member. "You know my noble nature, don't you?" managed the king trying to stay on subject just a little longer instead of succumbing to the growing demands of his body.

"Yes, yes, can you hurry up?"

"If I give somebody a present, I would never take it back, even if I would like to have it back, you know? I would never do that, would I?"

"No, you wouldn't."

"Good. I decided to give Jared a present. Something that he might enjoy. Not in a manner that I enjoyed, but still."

"That's you brilliant idea? To give Jared a present? I am afraid you start loosing your touch, Your Majesty."

"How dare you accuse me of that?" playfully faking indignation asked Alexander sliding the tip of his finger along Hephaistion's fully aroused member.

"Ohhh," gasped Hephaistion, "I was definitely wrong about your touch. What's the present?"

"Bagoas."

xxx

"Gavalos, wake up, it's a middle of the day," Jared shook his friend. "Here, I brought you some medicine."

"Go away, my head hurts."

"I said I brought you a medicine. Here, have some wine."

"I can't. I drank too much last night. Don't you remember? How those people do it, I have no idea."

"It's called habit. Here. Turn around. Drink some wine, it will help."

"How would you know, Mr. Sober par excellence?" asked Damian accepting the bowl of liquid.

"Too many mornings in a company of the people who had too much during night partying."

Damian moaned and started to drink slowly. "I need a piss and a cold shower," mumbled the doctor giving the bowl back to Jared.

"What are you waiting for?" asked the actor, "I heard your accommodations could boast 10 stars or something."

"That's true," in somewhat surprised tone confirmed Damian. "The chiliarch knows how to live on a grand level," and with those words the doctor disappeared in the bathroom.

When he was back, the breakfast was already served; bowls of fresh and dried fruits, nuts, bread and cheeses, clamoring to be enjoyed and eaten, were showcased on the low tables. Jared was sitting of the floor, his legs crossed, his back to the low couch.

"I thought you were supposed to dine from the couch, not to sit on the floor," noted doctor.

"I am not sure," answered Jared, "I think it's only done during the formal gets together. Anyway, I hate the arrangement, it's too darn uncomfortable. Besides, nobody is going to see us here like that and judge."

"What's there to judge, after your yesterday's outfit?" smirked Damian. "But I still can't believe that the guy who liked it most was none the other but general Krateros. Wasn't he supposed to be a narrow-minded conservative Macedonian?"

"Yes, but I think he liked the whole leather part and especially the boots. He said I reminded him of Ares."

Damian almost choked. "Good riddance. But how did you managed not to get drunk? I saw you were drinking a lot."

"I was," Jared smiled. "I asked Bagoas to prepare a wonderful ginger tea for me, you should try it sometimes."

"Ginger tea?" Damian couldn't believe his ears. "How were you able to convince the generals that it wasn't offense to Dionysus?"

Jared smiled, "You know, one of the advantages of behaving and dressing outrageously is that after some time people can't tell what's normal and what's not. Besides, you know how the ginger root looks like, right?"

"Of course."

"Well, I convinced them that in our country, we venerate the god of wine drinking the brew from the root that represents the sexual freedom because it looks like multiply phalluses stuck together during the orgy."

"Gosh, you have the wildest imagination ever. They believed you?"

"Why not? If you use your imagination…."

"OK, thank you. I don't think that I want to know more."

"Don't be a prude. Anyway, did you learn anything noteworthy?"

"Yes, Eumenus was a very interesting company."

"Eumenus, from all the people! You should choose your company more carefully!"

"Ha! That's from a person who spent most of the night fraternizing with Krateros and the morning enjoying massage from Bagoas. Then he prepared ginger teas for you and what else?"

"Warned me against your new friend Frada."

"Oh, really? Interesting. However, Frada is not my friend. Yet. He is Hephaistion's confidant though. What's Bagoas beef with him?"

"I don't know yet. But I will soon, I think. Besides, I am under impression, that Bagoas mistakenly thinks that I'm somehow going to replace Hephaistion in Alexander's heart or at least significantly threaten his position. I think he likes that about me and going to use it to his advantage. He saw the favor that Alexander showed to me and completely misinterpreted it. Good for us. If he is a part of any plot, he'll going to enroll my help."

"I can easily see why Bagoas was mistaken. I would be too. You are always with the king. Did you exchange at least a single word with Hephaistion?"

"No," somewhat placidly said Jared. "It can wait, however. There is no need to advertise our friendship or, frankly, I don't even know what to call it. Most of the king's friends aware that we met before, though I think that everybody considers me a special friend of the king, not of the chiliarch. I think it's for the better."

"You should at least let Hephaistion know. He may get offended."

"Don't worry about that. We'll find a common language." Jared was amused. Not for the first time since their arrival in Susa, and they were in the city for less then two days only, Damian showed concern for Hephaistion's well being and was somewhat displeased with Alexander's behavior. It was quite to the contrary to the opinions he held about two of them in the very recent past. It was a pleasant surprise because Jared could stop worrying that Damian would disregard their agreement and would do nothing to save Hephaistion's life. Unless, of course, he was pretending, wanting to lull Jared's suspicion. Actor pushed his suspicions away, it was complicated as is, he couldn't handle intrigues of Perso-Macedonian court and that of Damian at the same time. It was too much. "So, what Eumenus told you?" Jared returned to the initial thread of their conversation.

"Well, you have to understand, he wasn't going to bare his soul to the stranger but I think I managed to play a role of someone who is always overshadowed by his more good looking friend. Besides, I did a little groveling admitting that the pure Greek was more beautiful than barracks' Macedonian let alone that during Athens' golden age Macedonia was nothing but a collection of uncouth villages. Persians, Indians and other barbarians are even worse; well, you get the idea. Besides, Royal Secretary and a historian have far more in common with each other than, say, with upstart chiliarch or, well, you don't want know what he called you."

"Now I do want to know! What did he call me?"

"Bagoas' substitute."

"That was low."

"As I said. However, I learned something interesting. Something that didn't make it into history books."

"I am all ears."

"You know that this prearranged mass wedding that's going to take place in a few days is detested by most of the grooms despite the royal or almost royal blood of the brides given to all high ranking officers."

"Yes, of course, what's the big secret then?"

"Here is a twist. Do you know how many of the closest Alexander's friends are married? I mean, officially married? Because you do realize that the youngest now are at least in their early thirties."

"I don't know." Jared never thought on the matter. "How many?"

"General Coenes, who died two years ago, was married to Parmenion's daughter. That's it."

"What do you mean, that's it?"

"That's exactly what I meant. Well, of course, Antipater and Parmenion were married, then Poliperchon, who is even older than Antipater and Antigonus One-Eyed, who is slightly younger. None of the younger generation is married – Ptolemy, Perdiccas, Krateros, Leonnatos, Nearchus, Seleucus, Eumenus, Cassander; Philotas and Black Kleitos weren't married either; I can go down the ranks, but you get the drift. You don't think it's strange?"

"Well, they didn't have time; they were on campaign with Alexander."

"One would think so but it's not exactly the case. They wanted to get married. Perdiccas asked for the hand of one of the Antipater's daughters, so did Krateros. I think Leonnatos wanted to marry one of Alexander's half-sisters. I couldn't remember all the names. There were more. Alexander said "no" to all of them. Sure, he used the excuse of being on campaign but many think that he didn't want the newly formed unions to plot behind his back. Now almost everybody is resentful not so much because the wives are barbarians but because the fathers-in-law and their closest relatives are going to spy on the grooms. Alexander doesn't trust Macedonians but trusts Persians. Can you imagine what it does to the morale of the army? Besides, as you know, the plan is to go to Ecbatana, then back to Babylon and then Arabian campaign. After Arabia, back to Egypt and Northern Africa, then Spain, southern France and Italy, then the rest of the Europe, please forgive my modern geography. With no Macedonia in sight. No wonder that everybody is pissed of."

"Well, Krateros and Poliperchon are going back to Macedonia."

"Wrong. Their orders are to get to Mediterranean, the Turkey side of it, and start building the fleet. Send some of the veterans home but persuade the most of them to stay, settle and help Krateros with fleet. The special envoys, not Krateros, are to go to Antipater to relieve him of regency and order to come to Babylon. Olympia is to be regent with "help" only if she asks for it, of Cassander. To add insult to injury, do you know who is going to hold the strings of the purse that finances the building of the fleet that Krateros is in charge of?"

"Harpalos?"

"Not this time. Hephaistion."

"I am sure he is not going to stall the process."

"It's not that. But the fact puts Hephaistion directly in command of Krateros' actions. Each time Krateros need more funds, more supplies, more people, whatever, he has to go to the chiliarch. Was it really necessary? Why Alexander has to humiliate everybody? Besides, he puts Hephaistion in the direct line of fire. As if he doesn't have enough enemies."

"Well, Hephaistion and Krateros weren't the best of friends to begin with."

"True. Now I think Alexander is to blame, not either of generals."

"Well, Krateros didn't mention it to me yesterday."

"Eumenus did."

"What else did he say?"

Jared saw that Damian hesitated with answer. "I am not sure," the doctor said at last.

"Spill it."

"It wasn't that Eumenus said something obvious, or that he implicated something of the kind, maybe he even didn't realize…"

"Damian, what is it?"

"Alexander knows that Hephaistion is a capable commander, that troops like him, especially cavalry. Most of the Persians like him and now he is to marry Darius' daughter. So many are resentful of the Alexander's insatiable desire to conquer the rest of the world and he is quite aware of that. He is also aware how much power he gave to Hephaistion and what he can do with it if he wants."

"I still don't understand where you are going with it."

"Alexander is the only one who never was considered to be the instigator of Hephaistion's death."

o o o o o o o

A/N – I hope you liked this update. I wanted to tell you that it's the last of the written chapters that I only slightly edited. From now on, I have to write and it will take time. I usually manage one chapter each month or two. I hope you have the patience to be with me on this journey for a long time.


	12. Book of Tripolis, Ch 5 Susa

Title: Alexander Revisited

Disclaimer # 1: I am fully aware that the movie with the same title exists (on DVD); this story was born out of that movie but took a turn to AU where it would reside with no intention of coming into a conflict with the original creation.

Disclaimer # 2: This story is a pure fiction. I don't know the real people involved; anything they do and say in my story has nothing to do with the actual lives of those people.

A/N - Thank you, my wonderful friends, who read and commented on the chapters that I already posted. My special regards to those who commented for the first time and who added this story to their favorites and story alert. It would be also wonderful to hear the thoughts of those who read the story but didn't voice their opinion yet. Thank you all.

A/N: despite my "threats" in the last chapter, I managed to write the next one in a record time. It made me a happy person and I hope you enjoy it as well.

Warning: not exactly M chapter but Jared got to play a dangerous game.

_Susa, 324 BC_

"You must be out of your fucking mind! How much did you drink yesterday? Was it just wine or you also enjoyed opium?" Jared was shocked.

"Calm down, I didn't say anything extraordinary."

"No? Not extraordinary?"

"Jared, I didn't say it's what going to happen, I just said that we have to consider such a possibility. If you indeed want to save Hephaistion's life, you have to examine any reason that may lead to his untimely demise."

"And this is from the man who just recently said that we should let Hephaistion die because he held Alexander back and didn't allow his genius to fly unlimited to the sky."

"Yes, I said that. May be, just may be, Alexander just realized that. However, he couldn't shatter the legend that he himself created – he and Hephaistion are Achilles and Patroclus reincarnated. So, the only way to get rid of Hephaistion is to let him die and then show the grief worthy of Achilles, show the revenge worthy of Achilles and arrange the most magnificent funeral in the history of human civilization. Heinrich Schliemann discovered the ruins of Troy following the description of Homer, Alexander killed Hephaistion also following Homer's storyline."

Jared sat heavily on the coach. He had no idea how to deal with this new development.

"I am not the expert in Iliad but I don't remember it mentioned anywhere that Achilles killed Patroclus."

"Not in so many words, Homer was a poet after all. But if you look at it realistically, Achilles should have known that he was sending Patroclus to a certain death because nobody could withstand Hector's attack but him. Who knows what their relationship was like? As a matter of fact, the more I think about it, the more logical it seems to me. Achilles was a Drama Queen, just as Alexander is; Patroclus was the one who made sure that while Achilles was whining in his tent, the Myrmidons were fed and taken care of. Exactly as Hephaistion does for Alexander's army. Achilles became afraid that the Myrmidons, who were anxious to join the battle with the rest of the Achaeans and to have their fair share in the spoils, would elect Patroclus as their new leader. So, Achilles jumped at the opportunity to get rid of this best friend and lover by sending him to a certain death. You can't argue with this logic.

Jared, all I am saying is that we shouldn't ignore this possibility. I would be happy if it's not true. I would be happy if Hephaistion simply had typhoid from which he recovers, Alexander won't indulge in unstoppable drinking and won't die either. They would live happily ever after and many other good things will happen to them and to the humankind. However, since we're having this unpleasant conversation, can I bring something else to your attention? Equally unpleasant?"

"I don't know how much more I can take," said Jared but nodded. Life, after all, wasn't a rosy dream. Bad things happened in real life, the people whom you trust most betray you in the end. What Damian suggested was sickening but was it impossible?

"You know all those celebrations that are going to take place at Ecbatana?" asked Damian.

"Yes, what about them?"

"Hephaistion is in charge of all the arrangements. Ecbatana is a former capital of Media and the satrap of that province is to help Hephaistion with everything. Do you know who the current satrap of Media is?"

"Enlighten me."

"Atropates."

"So?"

"One of his daughters is to marry at Susa. You wouldn't recall whom, would you now?"

"Damian, can you get to the point? Who is the groom?"

"The next chiliarch of the Alexander's empire!"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Your best friend Perdiccas."

"Oh….," was the only word that Jared could manage at the moment.

"Look," Damian continued, "I am not saying that Perdiccas plotted against Hephaistion's life, I am not saying that Alexander ordered Hephaistion's murder, and so on. I am just saying that we should consider all the possibilities. However, please remember this – in Oliver's movie Alexander sent Black Kleitos to kill Parmenion, in real life the orders were sent to Atropates because at the time Parmenion was in Ecbatana. Atropates followed the orders faithfully and efficiently. One of the things I remember about him from my readings in our time is that during Alexander's stay at Ecbatana after the Susa weddings Atropates arranged for thousand virgins to be sent to the king for his enjoyment. Now, about the future chiliarch. You can't deny the fact that Perdiccas craves power. He declared himself a regent after Alexander's death and he was about to marry Antipater's daughter, the same one he wanted to marry long time ago but Alexander forebode it."

"So, why he didn't after Alexander's death? Because he was killed?"

"No, because Olympia offered him the hand of Cleopatra, her own daughter. It was far better opportunity and Perdiccas obviously took it though it may cost him his life. After this move Antipater allied himself with Ptolemy."

"I thought Leonnatos was to marry Cleopatra?"

"Yes, but he died a year before Perdiccas' murder."

"So, what's your scenario? Alexander used Atropates to poison Hephaistion because he knew he was capable of such a deed? Atropates plotted with Perdiccas because he wanted his son-in-law to rise even higher at Alexander's hierarchy? Perdiccas plotted with Atropates because he knew his father-in-law won't shrink from another murder?"

"Any of the above, or maybe none, or it's even possible all three of them plotted to the same end."

"This is disgusting."

"Power struggles always are. Not everyone has a stomach for it. So, let's see what we can do about this situation. You have to use your friendship with Perdiccas. Be on his side, not Hephaistion's."

"He knows that I have a highest respect for Hephaistion. If he is planning anything, he wouldn't trust me."

"Are you really so naïve, Jared? I have a difficult time to believe it. Do you know what appearances mean? Do I have to explain such things to an actor? A very talented one, despite your unfortunate love affair with music. Perdiccas WAS always considered by everyone to be the closest of Hephaistion's friends, if he ever had one except for Alexander. So, it's either one way, or another. See what you can do."

As much as Jared hated the direction that their conversation took, he had to admit that anything was possible and it was irresponsible to play an ostrich game. He wanted to return to his own suits and think alone about this development when Alexander, all smiles and enthusiasm, appeared in the room.

"You are awake at last? Did you enjoy the party yesterday?"

"Of course, it was magnificent," Jared remembered that he was an actor after all and did his best to portray the utmost satisfaction and happiness completely erasing any signs of worries from his face. "You know how to entertain your guests and friends."

"Wait till you see the weddings, and then the festivities at Ecbatana. Those will be splendid events; people will talk about them for generations. I want to mark the beginning of the new age on an unsurpassed level. However, we are not all about the celebrations, I won't allow the luxury of my empire to be our undoing as it happened to Darius. After the weddings, we are going to explore the country to the south of Babylon, to make maps of the main rivers and confirm my power in the coastal area. When I am leaving for Arabia, I want to make sure I won't get any surprises from the backcountry. I count on you for joining this expedition."

"Of course, King Alexander," Damian thought it wise to show eagerness in following any of the Alexander's ideas.

"Ah, Gavalos, I am glad to hear this from you. I am also glad you made friends with Eumenus yesterday. It would be wise if you can learn how this empire is run and make your own contribution. I will appoint you as one of my official historians. I trust Eumenus … completely but it won't hurt to get assurances from time to time. What do you say?"

Damian took king's question for what it was, a polite order to spy on this secretary. "It would be an honor," the doctor slightly bowed and smiled at the king acknowledging the trust and letting him know the he understood the message.

"Well, then," Alexander looked satisfied, "but I have to make sure that you are in a perfect health. I've heard that Leonnatus had to take you yesterday to Glaukos, also I think that you are not as accustomed to the intensity of the Dionysus celebrations as we are. Here, take this," and the king handled a huge amethyst ring to the doctor, "this stone will guard you against the god's anger, wear it at all the time."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Damian bowed again and immediately put the ring on his finger.

Alexander watched the process and then said in a tone not bearing any objections, "Perseus here is to take you to Glaukos to make sure that you are all right, and then you'll join Eumenus. He would be expecting your company. Make sure he doesn't feel any threat from you. You may leave now, I have some matters to discuss with Laertes in private."

"Of course. Thank you for your confidence, my king, I won't let you down."

Alexander impatiently smiled and followed Damian with his eyes. When king and Jared were left alone, Alexander took the actor under the elbow and guarded him into the small private garden to which Damian's quarters were adjacent.

"I can trust him completely, can't I?" asked the king sitting on the low parapet of the fountain and inviting Jared to do the same.

"Absolutely, Your Majesty. Both of us will do anything for you and Hephaistion."

"Very well," Alexander smiled. "How about accepting a special gift from me?"

"Of course," Jared nodded not suspecting anything in particular. "What kind of the gift?"

"Bagoas."

Jared was taken aback. "I don't understand, Your Majesty. What do you mean?"

Alexander sighed and started to explain his reasoning behind this extravagant present. Upon hearing what king had to say, Jared asked, "Why don't you simply send him away to some other palace that you don't plan to visit any time soon?"

"Many reasons, besides, I already tried it once. Unsuccessfully. I am afraid that I will send back for him again. I don't want to do it. I thought of bestowing him upon some satrap or selling him into slavery but I don't want anybody to have him. He is dedicated to me now but his new master may be able to use him against me. Another way is to kill, and maybe I would resort to this solution if you didn't show up. I am sure that in your hands he won't turn against me and I would never stoop so low as to ask for him back."

"Won't he feel humiliated for being forced to serve somebody else?"

"He should consider himself lucky to be able to attract attention of two Great Kings. He knew that he couldn't enjoy my bed forever. It would be … against the custom. I would eventually find a younger boy. He should be happy that I personally arranged his fate and didn't pass him over to the Chief Harem Eunuch."

"Didn't he aspire to become a Chief Harem Eunuch himself?"

"It wouldn't be possible for the certain reasons. However, you don't have to sleep with him if you don't want to but you should know that he really knows how to take care of your body. In many different ways. If I were you, I would try all of them and then decide which one suits you better. In the meantime, I don't want to deprive you of the female company. I asked Datames, who is the Chief Harem Eunuch, to take you to the women's quarters. You can choose whomever you like."

"Your Majesty, your concern for my well being is truly overwhelming," said Jared trying to sound sincere. He really didn't need those complications in his life now. "However, rest assured, I never had any problems in finding… how I should express myself, a lovely girl to spend my time with."

"I have no doubt," Alexander smiled, "but from what Hephaistion told me about your time, it's not the same. You don't want to degrade yourself with some low wench from the barracks and you are not familiar with brothels in Susa."

"Eh, you are right, but I hoped to enjoy the company of some well educated and beautiful hetaira; I am sure that even here I will be able to find myself one."

"Yes, yes," Alexander grew impatient, "you'll able to meet many of them during the festivities in Ecbatana, but in meantime, you can choose from the royal harem, I am sure you can find somebody to your taste. You like music, right? Some of them play marvelously on many instruments, and can sing and dance. And if you don't like your first choice, you can change your mind and find somebody else. You refused to take a Persian wife so don't offend me by saying 'no' again. And please, call me Alexander, especially when we are alone."

"Yes, Alexander," answered Jared somewhat gloomy.

"Are you angry with me?" asked the king with obvious concern in his voice.

"Not at all," Jared lowered his head so that Alexander couldn't see his facial expression.

"Don't lie to me," seriously said the monarch.

"You wouldn't know if I lied to you," said Jared, laugh in his voice, and looked at Alexander, smiling. Then he widened his eyes in surprise and looked somewhere to the right of the king. "What is that?"

"Where?" asked the king turning in the direction of Jared's hand.

"There," said Jared and taking advantage of Alexander looking the other way pushed king into the fountain. Alexander yelped and fell backward but he managed to get hold of Jared at the last moment and dragged him along.

By the time they got out of the fountain after chasing each other in the water and using the poor fish as improvised missiles, the whole slew of servants and bodyguards was waiting for them on the firm grounds.

Peithon, one of the Alexander's bodyguards, who was on duty at the time, only shook his head and said to Jared, "You are lucky that it was I and not one of my officers who didn't meet you yet. You'll be dead by now."

"Listen to the man," said the king trying to get serious. "As a punishment, I'll send you my precious gift right now. He should make you presentable for the visit to the harem. I am also going to order Datames not to let you out until you choose somebody. That's all for today. Tomorrow, if you behave, you'll get to spend some time with Hephaistion." Alexander smiled enjoying the view of wet and rather disheveled Jared. Then he left, happily whistling, followed by the bodyguards and some of the servants.

x x x

"Your Highness," Jared slowly turned in the direction of melodious voice. "I gave orders to prepare a very relaxing bath in your quarters. Would you kindly allow me to follow you there and take care of you?"

Jared made his expression to be blank. He didn't want Bagoas to read anything on his face. He wasn't sure yet how to proceed with him. Whether he wanted it or not, this gift from the king required his special attention. It would be easy to humiliate and degrade him but it wasn't wise. He needed to use Bagoas to his advantage and that required some thinking. "I can do so relaxing in a bath," he thought but loudly said, "Yes, Bagoas, you are welcomed to accompany me. And after the bath I would like to have the same massage that you gave me yesterday. I hope we won't be interrupted this time, your hands are the best I ever enjoyed."

The huge bathtub was sprinkled with aromatic flowers and Jared decided to take a full advantage of Bagoas services, however it was going to happen on his own terms. When eunuch let his hands to take too much freedom in undressing the actor, Jared turned to face Bagoas and asked him in his most sensuous voice, "My lovely, I dropped my girdle in the fountain, would you kindly fetch it for me?"

Bagoas smiled, his eyes intensely on Jared, the palm of his hand gliding along Jared's arm. "Sisistra, bring the girdle," ordered the eunuch to some invisible servant.

However, it was difficult to outplay Jared. "I want it to be you," slowly said the actor and lightly touched the eunuch on the shoulder lingering with his fingers a little longer than it was necessary. Bagoas blinked in surprise but choose to follow the orders. Jared in meantime undressed and blissfully sank into the tub.

Bagoas returned after some time, disappointment in his voice. "I didn't find any girdle," he announced. "Oh, never mind," as if nothing happened said Jared, "somebody probably picked it up. Would you massage my head, I have a migraine."

Jared succumbed to the expert movement of the eunuch enjoying every second of it. He didn't have any headache but decided that a little massage won't hurt. The distraction gave him the opportunity to go over conversations he had this morning with Damian and Alexander and he came to the sad conclusion that though he didn't believe for a moment that Alexander had anything to do with Hephaistion's death, Perdiccas was a viable suspect as, unfortunately, the rest of Alexander's court.

When he decided that Bagoas' hands went too low on his body he abruptly stood in the bathtub and declared that he didn't like to be that long in the water and preferred the rest of the massage to happen in the bed. The eunuch didn't mind because he misinterpreted actor's intentions. Jared let a huge towel to be wrapped around his shoulders and went in the direction of the bed. When they reached it, the eunuch started gently dry his new master through towel but Jared didn't savor the idea. His intention was ask for wine and fruits but he realized that those items were already on a small side table near the bed.

"Too hot here," complained Jared provocatively dropping the towel to his waist. "Can you please extinguish some of the torches, I like semi darkness."

"Of course, Laertes," happily agreed the eunuch managing to press a soft kiss between Jared's shoulder blades before complying with the order. Upon his return, he found Jared on his stomach, his head happily resting on his arms.

"Take your time, Bagoas, you don't need to hurry. My muscles are still sore from the journey, I hope you can do something about it."

Despite hating eunuch for the fact that he came between Alexander and Hephaistion, Jared had to admit that he was a very skillful masseur. "Skillful in other matters too," mentally frowned the actor surmising that it should be the case. "Still, I don't understand why Alexander bedded him for so long. He had Hephaistion, what else a man could want in his life? I don't believe this shit about following the Persian traditions. All Alexander had to do was to establish his own. If he was lonely when Hephaistion was away on the long missions, he had to take Barsine to his bed and then Roxana, at least they could have given him children.

Is it possible that Hephaistion doesn't care? What if he has his own boys to pleasure him? Is it possible that the fidelity isn't a big part of their relationship? No, it can't be," he remember what Perdiccas told them yesterday when they just arrived. "Besides, Alexander virtually begged me to take the eunuch off his hands. So much for the master of the known world, can't control his fucking impulses. Now, I am stuck with Bagoas. Maybe I should ask this Frada to dispose quietly of him in the some dark corner of the harem. I am sure he would like to do this favor for his master. At least in this way I eliminate one of the numerous suspects in Hephaistion's murder and maybe in Alexander's too."

Jared would never think about taking anybody's life in his own time but he felt that the rules of the game were different in this period. If necessary, he felt that he would be able to dispose of Bagoas, or of other persons who stood in their way. At least he thought so in the moment.

Jared was so absorbed in his thoughts that Bagoas, despite all his manipulations, wasn't able to elicit any sexual response from his master. He became apprehensive because, certainly, he knew how to do this. Bagoas drew a mental picture of this beauty convulsing in pleasure at his expert touches and he was determined to get this result. But so far even his attempts to get his hands under Laertes' body were unsuccessful and he couldn't elicit a single moan of pleasure from his beautiful lips.

Bagoas had all the reasons to be concerned. To make his master his sexual slave was the only way his safety could be assured. He had no other means to protect himself or survive. When Alexander announced this morning that Laertes would be his new master, the eunuch begged the king not to give him away, professing his eternal love, devotion and desire to please the king in any ways possible. Despite all those pleas, Alexander for once was adamant and Bagoas got the impression that the king wanted to be done with this as soon as possible. In the end, he sadly accepted his fate, still expressing his undying dedication to the King of Kings.

It was a real and completely unexpected blow to Bagoas' self-esteem. He was sure that he had Alexander again completely under his influence, just as he had him the first time. He was so naïve four year ago when he was first brought to Alexander's presence and the new king took liking to him. He was enthralled at his quick success with the new king who seemed to be absolutely fascinated with Bagoas' skills in bed and couldn't have enough of him. Then, a couple months later, came the first blow – general Hephaistion returned from one of his trips on king's behalf, and the eunuch was completely forgotten.

It was a very dark period but it didn't last long. The king and his lover quarreled, and the king took Bagoas to his bed again. Unfortunately, the reconciliation of the two lovers happened too quickly and Bagoas was discarded once more. The pattern continued for some time until the army was about to move deeply into the mountains. Bagoas, at that period back in king's bed again, watched with amusement as Alexander ordered to burn all the loot and luxuries except for bare necessities. One of the slaves brought him the funny story of king's secretary Eumenus ordeal when he had to burn his tent with all the treasures, and Bagoas laughed with abandonment and lightness of the person whom disasters of other people don't concern much.

That night Alexander was particular hungry for Bagoas' caresses in bed and kept the eunuch at work all night. In the grey light of the morning, Bagoas laid in king's bed exhausted but happy. Then king woke up and gave him a tender kiss. Then he signed and admitted that it was a wonderful night and he would remember and treasure it for a long time. Bagoas heart quickened, he realized that something bad was about to happen. His suspicions turned out to be correct. Alexander announced that Bagoas, as many other eunuchs, servants and women would be left in Hyrkania in order not to slower the advancement of the army.

Bagoas was devastated. For more than three long years, Bagoas wandered aimlessly through the enormous palace in Hyrkania capital. He had his own private quarters, his own servants and enough funds in his disposal to lead a carefree life. However, he was bored and felt cheated. He spent enormous amount of time taking care of his appearance and feverishly collecting any scraps of rumors about Alexander and his progress through new territories. His patience was rewarded one day when the governor announced that Bagoas was to be a part of the train of supplies that goes to Alexander in Carmania.

Bagoas cried from happiness and made sure to look his best when he met the king again. Alexander couldn't resist the temptation. The nights were passionate and the days were spent in endless entertainments. Bagoas listened to the horror stories about months of non-stop rain in India and merciless crossing of Gedrosian desert that killed so many. For the first time he was glad that the king left him in Hyrkania, he wasn't sure he would make it. However now the future seemed bright. He was back in king's bed and favor and the stiff Macedonians, drunk on their wine and knowledge that they survived Gedrosia, cheered him and demanded that the king publicly kiss him in theatre after his unsurpassable dancing performance.

Hephaistion, unfortunately still the highest in king's favor, was now officially Alexander's second-in-command; however, it looked like their personal relationship deteriorated even further. Bagoas, slowly and subtly worked hard on increasing the gap. He was quite successful in his endeavors when unexpected intruder burst into the king's bedchamber. And now, less than two days later, this intruder was his new master. Everything unraveled so quickly that Bagoas had the difficulty to process what exactly have happened. Who was this Laertes about whom he never heard before but who was known to almost every general in king's circle? Why Alexander so suddenly decided to pass him to this man? Was he Alexander's previous lover? Was he one of his boyhood friends whom the king hold so close to his heart?

The first explanation seemed logical given the astonishing beauty of the newcomer. He looked younger than Alexander and seemed very recipient to the pleasures of the body. Bagoas thought Laertes would be an easy conquest and king looked obsessed with him. Was it possible that he would replace Hephaistion in king's heart and bed? It looked like that only unfortunately the chiliarch was to marry the youngest of the Darius' daughters thus even further strengthening his position as second only to the king. However, Bagoas knew that even those highest in king's favor could fall from the grace without any evident reason. If he could capture Laertes mind and body, he has nothing to be afraid of. If this Laertes would be first in king's favor, Bagoas had nothing to worry about. And then, who knows, if for whatever reason Alexander gets tired of Laertes, he could get back into the king's favor again. But in order for all of that to happened, Laertes needs to be seduced and enslaved.

The eunuch decided to resort to other tactics and quickly undressed. He straddled Jared and gently setting butterfly kisses on the base of Jared's neck allowed his private parts to tease the spine of his victim. The trick always worked on Darius and Alexander but to Bagoas utter surprise his master suddenly turned around and put himself into a sitting position, his feet apart but the knees joined. Elbows firmly placed on the knees and his head resting teasingly on the opened palms of his hands he asked Bagoas in a dreamy sexual voice, "Can you pleasure a woman?"

Bagoas blinked and tried to understand what was going on. Laertes seemed so eager to enjoy his services but was completely unaffected by them. True, for a long time Bagoas didn't have to pleasure any other men but Alexander and Darius but before that he excelled at submitting many different men with many different tastes to his power.

"Did I do anything wrong?" asked Bagoas trying to collect his wits.

"Oh, no," Jared pretended to be surprised and remorseful. "It was so wonderful. You put me in a mood for a woman. I think I am going to take upon Alexander's invitation now and visit royal harem. He happily smiled and broke a big grape from the wine on the table. He seductively licked it and then traced with it the middle of eunuch's body from his throat to the area below the navel. "You are such a treasure," Jared let the grape fall and blew a kiss towards eunuch's eyes. Then he slowly moved his head mesmerizing Bagoas with the insatiable flame in his eyes.

"Do you want to pleasure me?" the actor let his voice to come in a quick gasps of passion.

"Yes," Bagoas answered in trance.

"Keep dreaming," Jared said in English and smiled.

"What?" Bagoas asked, his voice breaking, "I don't understand."

"You were so good with your hangs," Jared circled the eunuch's lips with his index finger. "I have to go now, we'll talk later and I explain exactly what I want."

Jared slipped from the bed and walking away, dropped, "I will dress alone. Thank you for now."


	13. Book of Tripolis, Ch 6 Susa

Title: Alexander Revisited

Disclaimer # 1: I am fully aware that the movie with the same title exists (on DVD); this story was born out of that movie but took a turn to AU where it would reside with no intention of coming into a conflict with the original creation.

Disclaimer # 2: This story is a pure fiction. I don't know the real people involved; anything they do and say in my story has nothing to do with the actual lives of those people.

A/N - Thank you, my wonderful friends, who read and commented on the chapters that I already posted. My special regards to those who commented for the first time and who added this story to their favorites and story alert. It would be also wonderful to hear the thoughts of those who read the story but didn't voice their opinion yet. Thank you all.

Warning: Not exactly M chapter but it contains some discussions of sex. If you are not comfortable with it, please don't read.

_Susa, 324 BC_

"You are home at last," visibly relived exclaimed Damian, "where have you been?"

"Out," calmly responded Jared.

"Out? I've been to your apartments at two in the morning or so, you weren't here! And look, it's almost evening again."

"So what, you are my mother now?"

"No, I simply was worried about you. Who knows what may happen. Couldn't you send me a message that everything is OK?"

"Damian, what may happen? I am always in somebody's company. So, what did you do?"

"Except looking for you?" sarcastically but rather good natured asked the doctor. "I spent most of the time with Eumenus yesterday and also with Frada. But this morning I decided that I still didn't feel well, so I went to visit Glaukos. Instead of being "cured" I only got a further headache. Do you have anything to drink or you are sticking to your ginger tea routine?"

"My routine doesn't matter. Didn't you hear I have a new butler?" smirked Jared.

"Bagoas, yes." Damian shook his head, "Alexander gave you a truly royal present. Or is it his punishment for you refusing to take a Persian wife?"

"Both. I also think it was some sort of his wedding present to Hephaistion. The real one, I mean." Jared smiled, happy with his own interpretation. Then he cleared his throat and called Bagoas in Greek.

The eunuch appeared and bowed very low to Jared and then a little less lower to Damian not so much for the lack of respect but because he wasn't his master. While Jared was giving rather detailed instructions about the supper, the Damian silently watched Bagoas. The eunuch looked immaculately groomed though he was too much bedecked with jewels and too little covered with clothes to Damian's taste.

"Did you already sleep with him?" asked Damian matter-of-factly in English.

"What's the rash?" replied Jared surprised that after Bagoas officially became his property, Damian didn't seem to mind.

"You don't want Alexander to think that you didn't appreciate his present or that you have more self restraint than he did."

"Alexander didn't insist that I sleep with him. He told me that I could do with the eunuch whatever I want. Though I think it would be wise to fuck him at least once."

"Watch your language."

"Are you for real, Damian?"

The doctor huffed but didn't say anything.

"And the reason that I need to fuck him at least once," continued Jared, intentionally stressing the word that upset the doctor, "is to make sure that Alexander won't want him back. I wish I could pass him to somebody else but I don't think it would please Alexander; besides, Bagoas may prove helpful after all. So, unless you want him for yourself…."

"No, thank you, I think I will pass on your kind offer."

"I thought so," Jared shrugged his shoulders. "So, what about that new headache of yours?"

Damian sighed and started, "So, I went to see Glaukos. I wanted to learn more about him. Though, to tell you the truth, I think he is a rather capable doctor, considering the period we are in."

"How much do you know about the medicine of this time, anyway?"

"Well, I had a course of history of medicine back in University and then I dubbed into the folk medicine around the globe. In some areas, people still rely on the knowledge that was around thousands of years ago, which wasn't that primitive, by the way. Did you know that there were some human skeletons found, more than eight thousands years' old, bearing witness to the successful skull trepanations? By successful I meant that the patients survived the operation and lived years after that. I think it's quite remarkable. Anyway, before we left, I got in touch with the professor that taught History of Medicine when I was in University. He is a very well known authority in the area. I told him I needed it for something and he buried me with the material.

Back to my headache, though. I didn't find Glaukos but I made an acquaintance with a colleague of mine, Kritobulos of Kos."

"What did you mean by colleague?" asked Jared.

"He is a surgeon. As a matter of fact, I would say he is the Chief Surgeon in Alexander's army. He is the one who saved Alexander after he was so severely wounded taking that stupid Mallian city."

"Meaning that he is Glaukos' boss?"

"Not exactly. Glaukos is like Chief Physician and personal doctor of Alexander. He is very good at what he does but according to Kritobulos, he has two flaws. Of one of which Kritobulos is aware and another he is not."

"You got me confused," admitted Jared.

"I'll explain. The one that he is aware of is that Glaukos tends to loose interest in the patients who are already convalescing or go down with diseases that well known and can be cured by any other physicians."

"You think this is what got Hephaistion killed? Glaukos left for the games because he thought that Hephaistion wasn't in danger anymore?"

"It may be so and then our task is really easy. However, there may be another reason, or as I said before, something that Kritobulos doesn't realize is a flaw. Now, purely by accident I didn't tell Kritobulos right away why I was searching for Glaukos. We started to talk and I realized that he was one of those really obsessed guys whose job is also their mistress. I decided to expend my cover a little and told him that my father and my oldest brother are very respectful surgeons in our own town. From that moment, I became his best friend and he plugged me with questions of what I can tell him. I had to divulge some interesting information to him and in return, he told me everything I wanted to know. I spent the whole morning and afternoon with him."

"I hope Alexander and Hephaistion won't get word of it," said Jared.

"I don't know; besides, the weddings are tomorrow. Do you really think they are interested in my family history?"

"Let's just hope they won't make any unnecessary connection. Anyway, back to your headache and the second flaw that Glaukos has."

"Yes, back to that. So, at some point I asked Kritobulos about Philip, the doctor who saved Alexander's life after his stupid jump into Cydnus river. Unfortunately, he died in India, by the sound of it because of blood poisoning. I am going to spare you the whole conversation because it took a long time since I didn't want Kritobulos to get suspicious about my special interest in his colleagues.

Glaukos started his career as a doctor in the court and army of King Philip. He was noticed for his successful treatments and duly promoted; in the few years before Philip's death he became the chief physician to … guess whom?"

"King Philip?" ventured Jared.

"I knew you would say that but you are wrong; to general Parmenion."

"Oh… and?"

"He was with the advance army that Philip sent to Asia and very high in Parmenion's favour. So much so that later during Alexander's campaign Glaukos' only daughter got married to a certain Aristodemos, whose father was a trusted captain from Parmenion circle and taught Philotas how to handle weapons. Even more important is that this Aristodemos and Philotas were milk brothers because Aristodemos' mother was also Philotas' wet nurse."

"Wow, Ptolemy definitely forgot to mention this in his memoirs," exclaimed Jared quite taken aback by this revelation.

"A couple of weeks before Cydnus incident Polybos, the Chief physician in Alexander's army left his post because he accepted an invitation to become a Head of Asclepieion, the famous medical school on island of Kos founded by Hippocrates. Alexander was offended, how could anybody willingly leave his persona? I also think this is why his animosity towards Aristotle started or deepened because the two, I mean Aristotle and Polybos, were very good friends and Alexander suspected that Aristotle had something to do with Polybos' decision. Anyway, just as Aristotle recommended Callisthenes, so did Polybos recommend Philip. Alexander knew that Philip was a very good doctor and had an impeccable reputation but he was reluctant to make this appointment because he was angry with Polybos.

Parmenion saw the chance to promote his own protégé and recommended Glaukos instead. Still, Alexander was hesitant. Parmenion decided to play foul and sent that famous letter about Philip being Persian spy. The letter accidentally arrived when Alexander's life hang on a very thin thread. Still, wisely, Alexander trusted Philip and the doctor saved his life. Obviously, after the accident, the king made Philip his Chief Physician.

Nevertheless, according to Kritobulos at least, Philip and Glaukos were on good terms and respected each other. This is why, probably, after Philip's untimely demise in India, Alexander promoted Glaukos to the post of Chief Physician. I can't believe that he didn't know about his connection to Parmenion but maybe he didn't think it was important. If we are talking about the flaws, I think that Alexander's is that he thinks that everybody suppose to love and admire him. This is very preposterous."

"Nah, I don't think this is the case. Alexander doesn't trust anybody but Hephaistion, and now us, maybe," Jared smiled. "He simply wants everybody to think that he trusts them. He also wants people to do their best, which serves to his advantage. I am sure he is aware of Glaukos' affiliation with Parmenion's circle but if he is really a good physician, he doesn't want to discard him. After all, both Parmenion and Philotas are dead."

"Exactly! One more thing, Glaukos is very anxious to get to Ecbatana."

"Because of the festivities?" asked Jared though he was sure that it hardly could be a reason.

"No," Damian shook his head. "Because in Ecbatana he is going to be reunited with his daughter and see his grandson for the first time. Aristodemos, his son-in-law and Philotas' milk brother, was left in Ecbatana as a commander of Macedonian garrison."

"How can it be?" Jared knitted his brows. "Alexander must have known about his connection to Philotas and Parmenion."

"Beats me. As I said, Alexander is not always at his brightest with his appointments. Maybe he hoped that Atropates would take care of him as he took of Parmenion. In any case, here we are, soon heading to Ecbatana where we have to deal not only with typhoid as possible cause of Hephaistion's death, but also with Atropates, Perdiccas' father-in-law; Aristodemos, Philotas' milk brother; Glaukos, Parmenion's darling and I wouldn't discount Alexander just yet. All those in addition to the usual suspects such as Roxana, Bagoas, most of Alexander's generals, Persian nobility, Macedonian nobility, Athenian's democrats. I don't know, should I add Drypetis to the mix?"

"Sounds depressing," gloomily confirmed Jared watching Bagoas and some of his helpers setting the food and drinks for his master and his guest.

"Would you like me to arrange for a special entertainment later tonight?" asked Bagoas with hope in his voice, nervously smoothing the clothes of his scant attire.

"Not tonight," said Jared purposely staring with his best undressing glance at eunuch's body below his waist.

Bagoas blushed and, bowing ever so low, left the room leaving both men alone.

"If the poor guy only knew why you torturing him so mercilessly," commented Damian watching silently the scene. "Now, tell me, what you've been up too?"

"Strictly business," seriously responded Jared lifting the lid of one of the dishes. He smelled whatever was inside and smiled, somewhat happily. "Umm, steamed veggies, do you want some? I hope the cooks followed my recipe to the dot."

"No, thank you," firmly refused Damian, "I prefer this meat, it looks grilled."

"Meat for the night meal, before the sleep? Somebody should revoke your medical license. What kind of example do you set forth for your clients?"

"I am a surgeon, not a dietician."

Jared shook his head, "I was joking, Damian. You can eat whatever you want. Wine?"

"Yes, please. So, did you talk to Hephaistion?"

"Not yet, though I tried to look for him. After Alexander left, I had to deal with Bagoas. Then, I was escorted to the royal harem."

"Escorted?"

"Yes, can you believe it? King's orders. The Harem Chief Eunuch was told to accommodate my every wish but not to release me until I pick up somebody."

"Jared, it can happen only to you."

"Don't think that I was too happy about it. Frankly, I felt like I was being auctioned, not the other way around. All those girls, gosh, you know, half of them are under 16 years old, I have no idea when and where they learned all that staff they were showcasing. However, I have to admit, they were all very beautiful and alluring and after Bagoas' treatment I felt like it was pointless to resist the temptation."

"So, you didn't resist?"

"I am a healthy male, what do you think? Besides, I had to pick up somebody, anyway. Though, I am sure I shocked them with my choice."

"Did you choose several at the same time?"

"That wouldn't be shocking to them. The woman I brought to my quarters is in her late thirties and she is some kind of a servant."

"Jared, are you trying to get into the Guinness book for your originality?"

"Not at all. But I wish you saw the face of the Chief Eunuch when I said that she was the only one with a shade of blond hair that I like. Besides, she is rather good looking and speaks Greek."

"How she was in bed?"

"Just fine, Damian."

"So, is she going to be your new fixture or you are going to choose a new girl every night?"

"Don't be so cynical. I discovered that the girl, her name is Phaspalla by the way, is a real gift from the gods. She is currently serving some Indian princess who was abducted by one of the Indian kinglets from the court of another and sent to the royal harem as a present to Alexander. However, Phaspalla's old mistress wants her back."

"Who is the old mistress?" now it was Damian turn to guess.

"Roxana."

Damian whistled, "Lovely! But isn't it too convenient?"

"I don't think so. Who would think that I will choose her?"

"You have a point here. How did you discovered about Roxana?"

"I noticed the bruises on Phaspalla's body. First, she didn't want to tell but I managed to coax her. She admitted that her new mistress is a vicious spoiled brat who enjoys beating her servants and throws things at them. I said she could stay in my quarters for a couple of days and that I would make sure that she wouldn't have to go back to her torturer. I think she didn't expect it, I mean that I would want to ensure her safety. She also told me she thought I picked her up for entertainment not to sleep with her."

"What kind of entertainment?"

"You don't want to know the details. Think group rape and forced sex with animals."

"This is disgusting. Is it a common practice?"

"I didn't want to ask but the fact that she was afraid of it speaks volumes. She was very appreciative of my treatment and I think she was tempted with my offer to stay in my quarters for some time but she frankly admitted that she didn't want to miss the opportunity to go back to serve Roxana. She needed to give her answer today and I let her go. She said the Queen won't need her right away and she will come back later today. I arranged with one of the eunuchs that they would bring Phaspalla to me whenever either of us wants to see each other. I think she would do things for me, so it's nice to have a spy in Roxana's circle."

"Sounds promising," Damian admitted. "But where have you been when I came looking for you in the first hours of the morning?"

"I went to the city."

"In the middle of the night? Alone?"

"Of course not alone. My shopping buddy dropped by."

"You shopping buddy?"

"Yes, Perdiccas. Leonnatos, Nearchus, Seleucus, Krateros and some others joined us on our way out."

"Where did you go to shop during the night? To the brothel?"

"You're almost right. We went to the sex shop."

"Come again?"

"You heard me right the first time."

"Jared, I don't have patience for your stupid jokes!" angrily said Damian.

"I am dead serious. Did you think dildos were invented in XIX century?"

"I… I don't know. Why would you guys go shopping for dildos?"

"I went for the company, I was simply curious. Maybe they want their Persian wives to satisfy themselves on their own. But I have to tell you, any modern sex store would be proud of their selection. They have huge and rather creative assortment of penis enlargements, all sorts of fifi toys, things for anal sex and even double deckers."

"What's a double decker?"

"Oh, common on, where did you get your sexual education? That's a thing you strap to yourself with additional penis. To give your woman a double pleasure. Why do you have this puzzled look on your face? Are you seriously never heard of it? I will ask Hephaistion to give you a lecture on the matter."

"Was Hephaistion also with you?"

"No, he was otherwise occupied, I hope in Alexander's company. But I learned something about him that sheds a completely new light on that famous Diogenes' phrase about Chiliarch's thighs.

Apparently, during the last years in Mieza Hephaistion was famous for his X-rated stories. He wrote them in a very explicit manner and even took pains, or should I say pleasure, to illustrate. Each one became an instant bestseller among the boys who copied them studiously and passed among each other. One day Hephaistion wrote such a story for Alexander's birthday and gave it to the prince before the lectures. Alexander couldn't wait till the end of the classes and inserted Hephaistion's scroll into the scroll of math. Aristotle, ever observant, couldn't understand why Alexander was blushing while perusing some mathematical equations. Unnoticed by the prince, he came behind Alexander and joined the reading. He didn't fail to recognize the handwriting."

Damian laughed, almost choking on the almonds he was eating at the moment. "So, what the great philosopher did?"

"He approached the matter philosophically. He reprimanded Alexander for reading it during the math class. He said the prince should have waited for the next class that was a study of human body. As the rumor has it, Aristotle secretly became a very avid reader of Hephaistion's opuses. Who knows, maybe the famous lost correspondence between Aristotle and Hephaistion wasn't at all about the politics."


	14. Book of Tripolis, Ch 7 Susa

Title: Alexander Revisited

Disclaimer # 1: I am fully aware that the movie with the same title exists (on DVD); this story was born out of that movie but took a turn to AU where it would reside with no intention of coming into a conflict with the original creation.

Disclaimer # 2: This story is a pure fiction. I don't know the real people involved; anything they do and say in my story has nothing to do with the actual lives of those people.

A/N - Thank you, my wonderful friends, who read and commented on the chapters that I already posted. My special regards to those who commented for the first time and who added this story to their favorites and story alert. It would be also wonderful to hear the thoughts of those who read the story but didn't voice their opinion yet. Thank you all.

Warning: I have to put M for this chapter though the sex scene will be the less shock than…..

_Susa, 324 BC_

Jared felt somebody shook his shoulder, trying to wake him up. He sleepily thought it might be Damian and was about to shoo him away when he heard the voice of the unknown intruder, "Will you wake up already? Aren't you supposed to be an early riser, just like me?"

The actor was awake immediately and sat up in the bed, staring at Hephaistion. "Why are you here? It's too early for any visits."

"How do you know that it's too early?" Hephaistion asked, way too serious to Jared's taste.

"I suspect so because I am actually an early riser. What are you doing in my bedroom?"

"In case you didn't know, I can go whenever I want. The privilege goes with my status."

"I am not questioning your authority," Jared looked Hephaistion in the eyes trying to understand the man behind the beautiful image, "it's a morning after your wedding night. Aren't you supposed to be in bed with your young wife?"

"Drypetis is fine, thank you." Hephaistion said somewhat annoyed, "you are not."

"I am not? Why?" Jared felt confused but the tone of Chiliarch's voice made the actor to believe something serious had happened.

"The girl you picked up in the harem to warm your bed is dead. Her mistress is too."

"What? Phaspalla is dead? What are you talking about?" Jared stared at Hephaistion in disbelieve. "How? What happened? She left my rooms just hours ago."

"Probably you shouldn't have let her go. I don't know though, she either was in the wrong place in the wrong time, or her death has something to do with your choice."

Jared got upset. They lost a spy in Roxana's circle. The moment he thought that, he became even more upset because his first thought was that they lost a valuable source of information not that a human being was dead, possibly because of him.

"How do you know?" he asked Hephaistion who was watching him intensely. "Why would anybody bother you with this news in such an inappropriate time?"

"Drypetis told me. She woke up and… went to see to her needs, and one of her service maids told her. She thinks you may be in danger."

"Oh," was all Jared could say. It was not how he planned to start his day. He also didn't expect Hephaistion's wife to know about his existence let alone with whom he chose to spend his nights. "Why I would be in danger and from whom? How did all this even happen?"

"This girl, Phaspalla was her name, you said? She was found dead in one of the courtyards, her throat slit and her body left in the open, for everybody to see. The eunuch who discovered her immediately brought the news to Sisigambis."

"The Queen-Mother? Why?" asked Jared, genially surprised.

Hephaistion only shrug his shoulders and Jared realized that he also found it suspicious or at least odd.

"Yes, the Queen-Mother. I don't know why. Phaspalla wasn't supposed to be a person of any importance. Even more strange, Sisigambis on a spot decided that it's her mistress fault and ordered her death. The young lady was dragged from her bed and thrown from the harem's highest balcony to the stone floor beneath it."

"I don't understand," Jared was shocked.

"I don't either," Hephaistion knitted his brows. "Drypetis thinks that you have to watch your back. I guess she suspects something but hiding it from me. She told me she could inquire further but I forbade her. I don't know if she would listen, though." Hephaistion sighed. "I advise you to be careful and not to go alone anywhere. I will talk to Frada, he has a few people on the inside who still remember and respect his uncle. I am going to talk to Alexander and Thais as well."

"Why?"

"Alexander, so he would abandon his ridiculous idea of finding you a girl from the harem, and Thais so that she can suggest you somebody from her circle."

"Hephaistion," Jared leaned forward and placed his hand on the general's wrist, "I would appreciate if you talk to Alexander, but there is no need to talk to Thais. I don't understand why the matter of finding me a bedmate is so important. You still didn't explain why Drypetis thinks my life can be in danger. After all, Phaspalla's mistress was beating her and all her other servants. Maybe she became jealous that I chose Phaspalla and not her and ordered somebody to kill the poor girl. The eunuchs in the harem know everything, they told Sisigambis, and the Queen mother wanted to set an example, so that other ladies won't behave the same way."

"Stands to reason but I am sure Drypetis would think the same. As I said, it looks like she knows more but doesn't want to elaborate." A somewhat awkward silence fell between the two men. They were looking at each other, studying and trying to penetrate each other thoughts. They knew they were connected, but how? By their beauty, so different and yet so irresistible to others? By their attraction, though of different nature, to Alexander? By something else that they yet have to discover? Or simply by the fact that one happened to play the role of another?

Their glances roamed each other bodies, taking in every detail, admiring it and trying to commit to memory. Jared's hand tightened around Hephaistion wrist, almost breaking the skin with hard nails. General didn't flinch. He extended his own hand and, opening it palm up, placed under actor's chin. He slowly forced Jared's head forward, their lips almost touching. "Don't you dare to die before me," slowly said Hephaistion, concern and threat at the same time in his voice.

Jared recoiled and, breaking the contact, pushed himself backward onto the pillows.

He frowned and then, not saying a word, left the bed, starting to dress up. Hephaistion remained sitting on the bed, watching Jared to put his cloths on.

"I have no intention of letting myself being killed," Jared was the first to break the silence though he was with his back to the general. "And you have no reason to talk about your death either. I promised Alexander to stay here long enough to participate in a couple of his next campaigns, but my visit is not going to extend long enough to witness your funeral. I have a life of my own, you know, and want to go back to my time while I am still young."

"Why don't you turn around and tell this to my face?" quietly asked Hephaistion.

Only because Jared was to a certain degree prepared to hear something of the kind, he managed to suppress the shiver that run through his body. He knew Hephaistion was watching him closely and had no doubt that the general could read his body language. He forced a very believable smile on his face and, taking a few steps aside, elegantly turned around.

Hephaistion suddenly laughed, shaking his head. "You tricky bastard. Didn't you think I would notice you placed yourself against the sun so I wouldn't see your face clearly?"

Jared allowed himself to relax and, laughing in return, went back to where the general was sitting. "I am a tricky bastard? I wonder how many times you played this ruse on other people. But I promise to be careful, though I have no idea why anybody would want to kill me." Jared tried to push away an unhappy thought that Hephaistion might suspect that his end was close and wanted to make sure that at least Jared would be there for Alexander. Was it possible that he didn't believe that their arrival was accidental? As if to confirm his concerns, Hephaistion asked, "So, tell me, why are you really here and why now?"

"It's very simple," Jared practiced this conversation so often. "But didn't Damian already tell you that? I can't believe you didn't ask."

"I asked him, just to sustain the conversation on the first night of your arrival. He was too tired and I let it go. Besides, I think he dislikes me."

"No, no, I think he is simply overwhelmed by the experience."

"You don't?"

"I am too but my situation is different. When we shoot the movie, I had to believe I was Hephaistion, I talked to real Alexander, I fought with him and all other people were indeed those whose names they bore, not the actors. Sure, during our first switch at Siwah, it was quite a shock to deal with real people. I thought it was one of the reasons I was, I don't know how to describe it – afraid, may be, to go back." Jared stopped for some moment and then continued, describing all the events starting from his coming back from Siwah, his feelings, fears and nightmares. He withheld no details from Hephaistion, except for Deirdre's death. It was decided by four of them, Jared, Colin, Oliver and Damian, that they would spare Hephaistion the sad news. So, in this altered line of events, on that fateful night, Colin drove Deirdre safely home and the car accident happened on his way back when he was alone.

Hephaistion listened without interruption. Sometimes he nodded in agreement, sometimes he shook his head in disapproval. In the end he said, "I am glad that you decided to come. But while you know what is going to happen to all of us, you don't know what lays ahead for you and Damian. So, I ask you to be careful."

"I will be, that's for sure," agreed Jared, "our lives are always full of surprises and it is better this way. If I knew that Alexander would saddle me with Bagoas, I probably wouldn't come," the actor tried to joke.

Hephaistion smiled, sparkles of mischief in his eyes. "Oh, don't complain, he is not that bad. He can pamper you whenever you feel like it. Speaking of which, I am hungry, what about you?"

"I am hungry too," said Jared intentionally loud and waited for Bagoas to appear and take his orders. Nothing happened for some time and Jared theatrically knitted his brows. "I expected him to be more efficient," continuing the entertainment, Jared said, over acting his disappointment.

"It would actually help if you switch to Greek," Hephaistion suggested.

"Ooops," Jared giggled, "my bad. Bagoas, darling," actor called the eunuch in the suggested language. Now it was Hephaistion turn to giggle.

Bagoas appeared immediately and bowed to Jared. The actor saw how his body froze when he became aware who the second man in the room was. "Your Highness," Jared realized with surprise that though the bow in Hephaistion's direction was stiffer, it was also lower.

"You want something special?" Jared asked Hephaistion purposely switching back to English to cause Bagoas more discomfort.

Hephaistion shook his head, "Whatever you choose."

"Well, then. Bagoas, surprise me with something I didn't try yet and I hope you know His Highness' taste by now."

The eunuch silently bowed and disappeared behind the curtains. Pretty soon, the food and drinks appeared to satisfy the most demanding of the tastes but neither Jared nor Hephaistion paid any special attention to those who brought it to them.

"Do you hate Bagoas only because of me?" asked Hephaistion.

"What other reason would I have?" responded Jared. "Why were you so lenient with Alexander? You should have insisted…"

"Don't go that road, Jared," Hephaistion shook his head. "I would never degrade myself so low. Besides, regardless of what you think or what others might think, he didn't shared Alexander's bed that often. Only when we quarreled, or when….. well, it doesn't matter now."

"When you were away?"

"Yes, yes," agreed Hephaistion.

"You consented too quickly."

"Because it is the truth.'

"You are lying."

"Hmm, how do you know?"

"I can feel it," Jared insisted.

"Your feeling is wrong."

"It is not." Jared stubbornly pressed his lips. Then sudden idea occurred to him. "In our time Alexander is known for saying that sex and sleep reminded him of his own mortality. Is Alexander …. cold in bed?"

"What an absurd phrase, last time I checked Olympians and sex were almost synonyms. Besides, your logic is lame, if Alexander was cold in bed why would he take another lover?"

"Because it was a Persian tradition. The Great King supposed to take a eunuch to his bed."

"Nonsense. As much as I like you, Jared, I am not going to discuss this issue with you anymore. It's between me and Alexander."

"Fair enough," said Jared, "I didn't mean to snoop. What about Roxana?"

"What about her?"

"Why did he marry her?"

Hephaistion exhaled in frustration. "You don't know? I mean, in future, you don't know?"

"Not for sure. There are several versions. Some said because he sincerely fell in love with her, others because she reminded Alexander of Olympias, others in order to secure the good will of Sogdians and Bactrians, with the sword of her father, of course. Is anything of this true?"

"Not very much."

"So, why? You must know."

"Yeah," said Hephaistion, remembering. Jared waited patiently, sensing that the general was going to tell him.

"Do you know who Aristander is?" asked the Chiliarch at last.

"Alexander's seer?"

"Yes. He predicted some things pretty accurate in the past and Alexander believed him almost blindly."

"You mean the king doesn't believe him anymore?"

"Aristander died in India. Anyway, when I was away in Sogdia with Artabasus, the Seer came to Alexander with unexpected announcement that his latest augural sacrifice foretold that Alexander would only have a son if he marries within a year."

"Are you sure he wasn't bribed by Olympias?"

"I thought about it. But Alexander didn't suspect his mother involvement this time so why should I?" Hephaistion shrugged his shoulders. "Besides, even Olympias knows how Alexander treats challenging deadlines."

"I am not sure I know what you mean," confessed Jared.

"Don't you know the story of Aristander's prediction about the fall of Tyre?"

"No, I don't recall," admitted Jared.

"Well, the siege of Tyre took an awful long time. One day, before the whole assembly of troops, Aristander predicted that the city would be taken that very month. The problem was, that very day was the last day of the month. Alexander, brilliant as always, right away declared the change in calendar, adding two more days to it."

"Wow, that was risky. I mean for Aristander. Did you take Tyre within the next two days?"

"No," Hephaistion smiled, "we took Tyre that very day."

"I am officially impressed!" Jared sincerely exclaimed, "Any other of Aristander's prediction were as impressive?"

"It depends how you interpret them."

"Well, the prediction about Tyre is difficult to interpret any other way."

"Not at all. Alexander's planned to take Tyre that very day. Only few knew about those plans. And those who knew never saw Aristander around to suspect any ploy."

"But you suspect something?"

Hephaistion laughed, "I know something!"

Jared theatrically raised his right brow and said, "When I am back, I am going to check on the matter, to see how much of Aristander's predictions made it to history books."

"Isn't it easier to ask your friend Damian?" Hephaistion inquired innocently and Jared realized that he fell into the trap. He inwardly cursed. Back in their time, they tried to choose between the options of presenting Damian as historian of Alexander's time or as historian of some other period to avoid the situation of Damian not knowing or forgetting some basic facts. In the end they all decided in the favour of Damian being Alexander's historian; after all, the doctor could always give an excuse that the fact well known in the past didn't make it to the future. It seemed to them more logical that the mysterious powers who orchestrated their ordeal wouldn't connect the bracelets with historian of another epoch.

"You are right!' exclaimed Jared, improvising on the spot. "Why I didn't think about it?" he asked as if nothing happened.

"Indeed, why didn't you?" smiled Hephaistion.

"I am probably still too groggy from the last night festivities," continued with his game Jared. "Anyway, back to Aristander's prediction. What did Alexander do?"

"Well, unlike the public prediction that the Seer made about the fall of Tyre, the one about the necessary marriage Aristander gave in private, to Alexander only. He explained it saying that there will be many obstacles and many distractors who would like to prevent this particular marriage. He didn't suggest a suitable bride but Alexander was sure that it must be Stateira, Darius daughter. He decided to send a special convoy to bring Stateira, and yes, Drypetis also, to Maracanda, where he intended to spent the winter, for the wedding to take place in early spring. I was supposed to go back to Babylon with this convoy and Alexander sent me a message that I have to part with Artabasus and come back. At the same time he decided to make Black Cleitos the governor of Bactria and Sogdia."

"An ill-fated decision," interjected Jared.

"Indeed. It didn't go well. The Hipparch was dead before my return to Maracanda. So were Alexander's plans to marry Stateira."

"Why? What's the connection?"

"Alexander's unpredictable attitude towards omens. Sometimes he invents his own to push everybody in the direction he wants, sometimes he completely disregards them when they don't suit his purpose but in some cases he blindly believes in them and simply refuses to see the light. Do you know why Lanike was Alexander's wet nurse?"

"Because she was Black Cleitos' sister?"

"Yes, but why Black Cleitos' sister and not somebody's else?"

"There was a rumour that Cleitos was Philip's lover. Was it true?"

"Yes, but not only that. Philip first met Olympias when he went to the island of Samothrace to take part in the rituals dedicated to the ancient chthonic deities. He came in the company of Black Cleitos. Soon after, a treaty was signed with Molossian king Arimbas, Olympias' uncle and her hand was given in marriage to Philip. Cleitos was sent with special embassy to bring her to Macedon."

"Wasn't Cleitos too young at the time to lead such an embassy?"

"Yes, he was. Actually, he and Olympias were born in the same year. But Cleitos was in high favour and Philip wanted to honour him. Besides, Olympias knew Cleitos from Samothrace and Philip thought it would make her journey easier. Back to our time. When Alexander killed Cleitos he took it as an omen that if I would be sent to Babylon to bring Stateira, in some distant future his son by Stateira will kill me in rage just as he himself killed Cleitos. It didn't help that Alexander and I first met Stateira together, just as Philip and Cleitos met Olympias."

"This is very far fetched."

"I am glad you agree but Alexander was unconvinced. He said he was not going to bring around my death and refused to budge. Nobody knew yet about his plan to send for Stateira so his change of plans didn't cause any turmoil. However, he still believed in prophecy and wanted to marry as soon as possible. Roxana simply was in the right place in the right time."

"Wow," Jared tried to process the information, "nobody would ever think about this explanation. Life is truly stranger than fiction. So, was Alexander angry with Aristander that Roxana didn't bear him any son, yet?"

"The Seer died too early to be accused of anything and there is a plenty of time for Roxana to bear Alexander a son."

Jared lips involuntary twitched when he heard this seemingly innocuous phrase. "Alexander knew his time was short after Hephaistion's death. This is probably why he forced himself to share Roxana's bed after general's death. He knew how little time was left. Only Oliver in his movie choose to make Roxana already visibly pregnant when Hephaistion died. In reality Alexander's son was begot after Hephaistion died because he was born in August. Still strange why Alexander didn't declare his unborn son a successor; if Alexander believed in what Aristander predicted, he should have believed that Roxana would bore him a son."

Hephaistion silently watched Jared. He knew exactly what was going in actor's mind because he knew what was about to happen. If Jared would pay more attention, he would notice the shadow of sadness that suddenly fell on Hephaistion face.

The Chiliarch was the first to snap out of it. "Anyway, now Alexander has three wives, I am sure at least one of them bears him a son."

"What about Heracles, the son of Barsine?" suddenly remembered Jared.

"You are right, the son of Barsine. That's for sure. However, whether he is Alexander's son or not, nobody knows. Alexander never felt like recognizing him as his son."

"What about Queen Stateira, the wife of Darius? It is said that she died in childbirth, but the child couldn't have been Darius', too late. Was it Alexander's?"

"No," firmly responded Hephaistion.

"Do you know whose?"

"It doesn't matter now. But it wasn't mine, if it's what you are thinking."

"You are right, I thought about it for a moment," acknowledged Jared, "but it was a very brief moment. Can you tell me what happened to Ochus, Darius' son?"

"He died."

"I know that! Why are you stonewalling me?"

"What's stonewalling?"

"Don't play games with me, Hephaistion. I have no problems with Greek, you shouldn't have with English either."

Hephaistion was about to say something when, after a short knock on the door, one of Alexander's pages entered. "The king wishes to speak with you right away," he informed the general.

Hephaistion nodded and stood up. "Don't worry, Laertes, we'll talk another time. Remember what I told you and please be careful."

o o o O o o o

Stateira gasped feeling her body melt in pleasure. Her fingers writhed in paroxysm of desire ripping the sheets under her. She helplessly moaned arching her back when the hot tongue expertly licked her lips, sometimes touching the clitoris, sometimes darting inside her.

"This is so much better then the night with Alexander," feverishly thought the queen succumbing to the caresses and kisses of the other woman.


	15. Book of Tripolis, Ch8 Susa

Title: Alexander Revisited

Disclaimer # 1: I am fully aware that the movie with the same title exists (on DVD); this story was born out of that movie but took a turn to AU where it would reside with no intention of coming into a conflict with the original creation.

Disclaimer # 2: This story is a pure fiction. I don't know the real people involved; anything they do and say in my story has nothing to do with the actual lives of those people.

A/N - Thank you, my wonderful friends, who read and commented on the chapters that I already posted. My special regards to those who commented for the first time and who added this story to their favorites and story alert. It would be also wonderful to hear the thoughts of those who read the story but didn't voice their opinion yet. Thank you all.

Warning: due to some adult content this chapter bears M rating.

_Susa, 324 BC_

Only a few months after their arrival, it's already seemed to both Jared and Damian that they have been with Alexander's army forever. The excitement of the first days disappeared and turned into routine days. Routine, because, as Jared and Damian confessed to each other, for both of them it was the first time when they had so called 9 to 5 jobs. Only it wasn't 9 to 5, it was 24/7. Both indiscriminately cursed those historians, both classical and modern, who said that the last years of Alexander's life were spent in drinking parties.

There were meetings, there were consultations, there were discussion with specialists, there were war counsels and the parties were just extensions of diplomatic receptions. Though officially Jared was attached to Alexander and Damian to Eumenus, their paths often crossed because the secretary accompanied Alexander almost everywhere. They didn't get any official titles from the king and they didn't mind believing that it helped to avoid envy.

Surprisingly, more so to themselves, they were accepted by Alexander's close (and not so close) friends and court immediately and everybody treated them with respect or at least didn't show any visible hostility. However the question who they really were and where they stood in Alexander's favor obviously lingered on the minds of king's retinue. One day Ptolemy, using the brief lull in Alexander's explanation of some point of their future campaign, jokingly asked, "So, Alexander, we all know that Hephaistion is a friend of Alexander the man, Craterus is a friend of Alexander the king, it makes Laertes a friend of ….?"

Alexander smiled, not at all perturbed by the question, and said, "Well, I thought it's obvious. Laertes is a friend of Alexander the god."

Good natured laughs, hoots of appreciation and whistles followed. Alexander gave a reassuring smile to Jared who didn't expect this kind of an answer but composed himself quickly and mimicked his own reaction as Hephaistion from the movie to the famous king's phrase "He is Alexander too".

Nor was there any visible progress in determining the cause of Hephaistion's death at Ecbatana. After coming to the unhappy conclusion that everybody was a suspect they tried to eliminate some unlikely candidates but quickly realized it was a dangerous approach. Everyone seemed to have a motive and the more closely they got to some of the people, the more convincing those motives became.

The situation was a two way mirror – the same way as Jared and Damian assessed each of Alexander's companions, they knew themselves to be subjects of the similar kind of speculation. Ptolemy's question and Alexander's answer only reinforced the consensus among Alexander's friends, Laertes was definitely Alexander's man and Gavalos was Hephaistion's. It made the relationship between Eumenus and Damian strained and that of Krateros and Jared complicated.

However, it wasn't a coincidence that Ptolemy asked a question only about Jared. The actor was far more popular than the doctor but that very popularity left Jared very little time to himself, or to consultations with Damian, let alone any private moments with Hephaistion. He saw the chiliarch often enough in Alexander's company but the moment the three of them were left alone, Jared immediately found some excuse to leave the couple alone wishing to give them as much time alone as possible.

One evening Jared, tired and sleepy after exhausting day full of meetings and longer than usual stay in the bath, happily realized that he didn't have any further obligations for that day and he could retire to the bed till the morning. However, before he had the chance to fall into his bed and happily hug the pillow, his page knocked at the door and announced that admiral Nearchus came to pay him a visit. A moment later, not waiting for the response, the admiral entered the room.

Now, if there was any real person who absolutely didn't look like the actor in Oliver's movie, it was Nearchus. The admiral was a slender man, sinewy and very agile. Black hair, slightly wavy and of shoulder length, black eyes and dark complexion made him a perfect Cretan. He had a great sense of humor and his jokes ranged from innocently hilarious to obscenely gross to humiliatingly rude. He seemed to be friendly with everyone and Jared never witnessed him to be involved in the open confrontation with anybody but the matter-of-factly phrase from Craterus "You'll never learn who are Nearchus' enemies because they never live long enough to tell the tale", convinced Jared and Damian to leave the admiral on the suspects list thought they didn't give him a very high rating; they were unable to discover any particular reason why Nearchus may have wanted Hephaistion dead.

"So, what's your outfit for today's party?" asked Nearchus ignoring the fact that Jared obviously didn't expect any guests or wasn't going to participate in any revelry.

"What party?" tiredly asked the actor.

"A very unique party. You can't afford to miss it. A party hosted by Thais with Alexander, Hephaistion and Ptolemy absent. One of the kind, believe me."

"Interesting," sincerely responded Jared, "why they are not coming?"

"Alexander spending this night with his wives, I am not sure in what order, Hephaistion and Ptolemy have to go over some project that Alexander deemed urgent and he wanted results for tomorrow morning."

"Can't you give me a moment to come up with some plausible excuse to go back to sleep?"

"No excuses. If you won't come with me, you risk discovering that the party was reallocated to you premises. I think Thais arranged for some nice surprise for you, and I have it on the highest authority that it's not going to be the burning of palace, despite the fact that this one is also called Apadana, like the one we burned in Persepolis."

"Thanks for the reassurance, I got worried for a moment," tried to joke Jared coming to terms with the fact that it was not going to be an early night.

When Jared and Nearchus arrived, the party was rather under way. Thais was an official hostess, but a lot of young ladies took it upon themselves to entertain the guests. Though food and wine were everywhere and beautiful women were friendly and numerous, Jared realized that the conversations were mostly about politics, art and plans for future. Ladies sharing men's couches were fully dressed and took part in the conversation rather then distracting men from it.

Jared and Nearchus were happily greeted by everybody and Thais personally came to welcome them to the festivities. Following the hostess, they joined a group that consisted of Perdiccas, Seleucus, Leonnatus and a number of women. It was an easy party, friends talking about the past and the future, existing rivalries put aside, beautiful and intelligent women making the surroundings even more pleasant. Jared suddenly realized that after his first sad experience with Phaspalla he didn't search any woman's company and that kind of relationship was sadly missing in his otherwise very exiting life.

He looked around knowing the party can be the perfect place to look for a suitable companion. He noted a number of women quite to his taste but made no evident effort to make the first move. As the party progressed, he realized that some of the guests disappeared in a company of the girls. The party may have not looked as an orgy but in the end the men weren't going to miss their chances to indulge in the sexual play with highly skillful hetaeras.

Just when Jared thought that he was going to follow the example of his friends he realized that all the girls whom he particularly liked weren't present in the room anymore. "Serves me right," philosophically thought Jared when he was distracted by Thais offering him a lovely bunch of green-golden grapes on a silver plate.

"You didn't find anybody you liked?" asked the hetaera with genuine concern.

The actor, not wishing to admit his slowness in making choices, shook his head and said that he came simply to enjoy the party, no strings attached. Thais politely nodded and asked how he liked the food and the music. Jared assured her that everything was exceptional.

"I've heard you not only enjoy listening to the music but also play the instruments yourself."

"You've heard right," confirmed Jared.

"In that case, I hope I can tempt you with a chance to check out my collection of the instruments. I brought some from Athens with me and Ptolemy, knowing my weakness, often buys me new ones."

Jared knitted his brows not sure what to make of the Thais' offer. Perdiccas and Leonnatus, seeing his confusion laughed and mischievously winked.

"It's not what you think, Laertes," assured him Perdiccas at last. "Thais does have a wonderful collection, especially judging by the amount of money that Ptolemy spent on it. Whatever you were thinking, you were thinking wrong."

"I was thinking about the difficulty of taking a proper care of all those instruments," indignantly responded Jared but made an effort to look embarrassed, knowing that it was expected of him.

"Of course," smiled Thais, sharing the joke. "Rest assured, I do my best to take a proper care of them. But if you can give me any additional advice, I would gladly accept it."

"With great pleasure," said Jared and stood from the couch. He followed Thais who right away engaged him in the conversation about the musical instruments that she had, telling him which ones she could play rather well, which ones she was just learning and which ones she didn't like much but still had in her collection for the diversity. The hetaera was quite knowledgeable in the area and Jared enjoyed the conversation fully expecting to see some marvelous instruments when they reach their destination.

"Here it is," announced Thais ushering him into yet another room. It was some fifteen meters long and five meters wide. Only it didn't contain any musical instruments. The semitransparent curtain hung along the room dividing it into two sections, the smaller one of some two meters wide where Jared and Thais were, and another one, slightly wider. The wider portion of the room was divided by the same type of gauzy material into four small sections, each one containing a bed and a pair of people in a frenzy of sexual intercourse completely oblivious of the others.

Jared was shocked; he wasn't a voyeur but most importantly he was so taken with Thais' expert discussion of musical instruments that he completely believed that those instruments were the purpose of their trip. Thais, still continuing to express her admiration about the exceptional lyre that Ptolemy gave her as a gift to her last birthday, took Jared's hand and lead him along the room giving him just a moment to have a quick look at each pair.

"I noticed that you singled those girls," without changing her tone continued hetaera. "I am not going to ask why you were so shy in expressing your desires, it's your own business, but I thought that seeing these girls in action may help you to choose the one, or two, or all of them. They are all very skillful and intelligent too."

"I don't need this, Thais," said Jared not quite sure how to react. "Did, did anybody at the party knew about why are you taking me here? Nearchus hinted at some surprise that you had for me."

"Of course not, they are all sure I was going to share my passion about musical instruments with you."

"Then, why are you doing this?"

"I thought you'd choose some girl at the party, but you seemed unimpressed. I decided that watching some action may stir certain desires in your loins."

"Why do you care?"

In the semidarkness of their environment Jared couldn't discern Thais' facial expression. Instead of answering the question, Thais asked, "Is there anything wrong with you? I mean, in that department?"

"Nothing is wrong with me," answered Jared tonelessly knowing quite well that the vehement denial will be taken as a positive answer.

"I know that you are not a eunuch, you don't like boys or older men, and you were interested in those girls, so, why not?"

"Because you were too impatient, Thais. If you didn't send those girls away to entertain these men, I would eventually pick up one of them. Did you ever arrange such a show for Alexander or any of his friends?" Jared was on a verge of asking if it was how Ptolemy made acquaintance with her in the first place but he wisely decided it was rather rude.

"No," calmly stated hetaera. "They never needed it. Besides, Ptolemy doesn't approve. But I wanted to make you happy. So, which one you like most? I will ask her to come to your bed later today. Discreetly, if you wish. But I don't understand why you so uptight? I found a girl for your friend Gavalos, and he is quite happy with her. He wasn't prudish at all. I asked him what he liked and he told me. I introduced him to some girls and he made his choice quite quickly. He wasn't shy about it."

"Maybe he wasn't shy but he didn't bother to mention the fact to me either,' with irritation thought Jared. "Why do they all want me to screw somebody and make it a public knowledge? I never volunteered to play Don Giovanni. What's wrong with all of them?"

"You want me to choose a girl and be happy with her?"

"Yes," ignoring the irony in Jared's words said Thais.

"And you want it because?"

"Because it's proper. Everybody has a mistress. Don't you like anybody?"

"I do like somebody."

"Does she know it?"

"Not yet."

"So, what you are waiting for? If she is not attached to anybody yet, you have to make your move quickly. And if she is with somebody, you have to convince her that you love her more."

"Thanks for your advice, I would really be lost without you," commented Jared with sarcasm. "I never knew how to pick up a girl. The biggest problem of my life." The actor viewed Thais resentfully but in the darkness hetaera couldn't see it. For the moment he hesitated whether he really should go ahead with the plan that he conjured just a moment ago, but then he threw all the caution away and smiled at the prospect of the game. He sighed, a little melodramatically but still believable enough, and then said, "Everybody thinks that with my looks I can conquer the heart of any woman. Unfortunately, it's not always the truth. I fell in love with somebody and it's not simple."

"Everything is simple if you know how to approach the matter. I am willing to guide you, though I hope you didn't lay your plans on any of the royal ladies?"

"No, not the royal ladies but still… I would appreciate your help."

"I am happy to oblige," smiled Thais, "what's her name?"

"It's complicated." Jared made a serious face. "This is why I didn't ask for your help before. I didn't want to involve you or put you in danger. Ptolemy will kill me. As is he doesn't like me much."

"He likes you all right, don't worry. He is just too serious sometimes. Let's go to my rooms where we can devise some plans in private. I am very skillful in these matters. I take it this lady is already involved with somebody else. Am I right?"

"Yes," reluctantly confirmed Jared. "This is why I didn't want to approach her. I am still not sure that I should do it."

"You remind me of Ptolemy. You both worry too much. Life is too short for such an attitude. Let's see what we can do about the lady in question and then I am sure that we'll still have time for my collection of musical instruments. I do take pride in it."

When they arrived at Thais' apartments, she asked her servants to bring some food and then dismissed them.

"Wouldn't Ptolemy get suspicious if he discovers us here alone?" asked Jared with concern.

"He wouldn't, don't worry. We are not doing anything wrong and he trusts me. Besides, after meeting with Hephaistion he was going to see his wife and spend time with her till the morning."

"You aren't …. jealous, or something?"

"She is his Persian wife, hardly a reason to be jealous. Ptolemy may never marry me but I know where his heart lies. I am content. So, who is this object of your secret desire?"

Jared fidgeted and looked around the room. "Are you sure that nobody is listening?" he asked with concern.

"Don't worry, nobody is listening and your secret is safe with me. So?"

Jared sighed and looked down. For a few moments he played with his fingers and then looked at Thais, saying, "Still, I don't want to betray the lady even unintentionally. I, I am really in love with her. Do you promise to help me?"

"Yes," Thais showed remarkable patience but she became truly intrigued by Jared's choice and his unexpected shyness. Thais simply couldn't believe that a man with Jared's looks can be shy or hesitant with women. She suspected he fooled everybody laughing at their expense. He either had girls from the harem or other ladies whom he secretly visited. The fact that he kept Alexander and others in the dark was only to tease them. She had no doubt he could get any woman he wanted and almost for the first time she regretted the fact that she was in sturdy relationship with Ptolemy. She knew that the general had other occasional mistresses but they mattered even less then his Persian wife. She herself was tempted several times but never to the point of risking what she had with Ptolemy. She wasn't sure that she would risk it for Laertes but he wasn't offering.

"Maybe I should pretend that I help him with this other lady and in meantime seduce him myself. Ptolemy will never know."

Jared continued to play the role of a man desperately in love. Then, judging that enough was enough, he said, "I don't know, maybe I am wrong to ask for your help. May be not now. How about you simply show me those instruments of yours? At least the evening won't be ruined."

Jared pleadingly looked at Thais. If it was anybody else, Thais would consider any further conversation a waste of time and ask the person to leave. However, even Thais couldn't resist Jared's natural charm reinforced by his acting abilities. She showed him to another room where the instruments were. Actor's eyes kindled with excitement and admiration. He moved forward, touching some instruments, trying to play others. He asked Thais questions but wasn't really listening to the answers. His long, elegant fingers reverently caressed the wood and strings extracting short sweet melodies full of charm and longing. His breath quickened, his eyes moistened and when Thais watched Jared slowly lick his lips in what hetaera thought was an absent minded gesture, she felt her own heart quicken and desire spread like a forest fire through her own body.

Like a hesitant shadow she approached Jared and demurely cast her eyes down. She took his hand in her own and entwined their fingers. Drawing him to her side, she now looked at him and sighed. Then she moved even closer, so that their bodies came in contact with each other and placed a feathery light kiss on his lips.

"Do you really like that lady very much?" she asked almost inaudibly and gave Jared another kiss, this time gently sucking his lower lip before letting it go.

Jared audibly gasped and embraced Thais. His left hand glided down her buttocks gently squeezing them and pressing her forward so that she could feel his hardened manhood; his right hand on her neck, his fingers caressing the sensitive and soft skin, he planted a gentle kiss on her slightly opened lips and then slid his tongue inside. Thais moaned and felt dizzy with desire. "Let's forget about your lady for tonight," she whispered pleadingly when she had to break the kiss because of the lack of air.

Jared, leaving a trail of passionate kisses on her neck, started hastily to remove the clothes from hetaera's body. "But that lady is you," Jared's voice rasp with desire was the last cognitive thing that hetaera was able to process before succumbing to the uncontrollable storm of passion.

Jared lost all track of time and reality and, satiated and exhausted, drifted into the realm of Morpheus. He wasn't sure whether it was five minutes or several hours when he was awaken by Thais who was out of bed and fully dressed.

"It's almost morning," she whispered, "you have to go to your own quarters or we both will be in trouble." 

It took Jared a several moments to fully wake up. He then jumped out the bed and he started to dress. When he was done, Thais approached him and, giving him a quick kiss, asked, "Is it true was you said? Are you really in love with me?"

"Yes," Jared looked at Thais and made his the eyes swell with tears and desperation. "The first time I saw you, I fell hopelessly in love, but what could I do? I knew you were a forbidden fruit. This is why I didn't seek a company of other ladies, except when forced upon by Alexander. Now I am glad that he was so persistent. After all, he sort of brought us together. But what we are to do now?" he asked in dismay.

"I'll think of something," quickly assured him Thais. "But you have to leave now. I asked Larissa, my friend and confidant, to accompany you to your rooms. She was general Coenus mistress but he died recently and she is still unattached. She loved him very much and doesn't want any other man in her life for now, so she agreed to be our cover. May be you'll have to visit her from time to time in her rooms when I will be in Ptolemy's company to throw any suspicions off. Go now."

They exchanged another passionate kiss and Jared left in Larissa's company. She accompanied him to his rooms and they had to play parting lovers scene before Jared's sleepy page and who knew whose else secretly watching eyes.

"Don't wake me up in the morning," mumbled Jared to his page, "I need to have some sleep.

"But your friend Gavalos was here several times, he said he had to discuss some urgent things with you, he will be here soon."

"Screw him," angrily muttered Jared suddenly remembering that Damian failed to mention the fact that Thais supplied him with a lady friend, "I said nobody, not even Alexander." Jared reached his bed and, hastily removing all the clothes, dropped into it succumbing to sleep almost immediately.

He woke up because somebody rather unceremoniously shook his shoulder. "Fuck off," he hissed and threw a nearby pillow back at the intruder. "I told that idiot of my page not to let anybody in. I don't care about whatever important things you want to discuss, I need my sleep first."

To Jared's relieve and somewhat surprise, his shoulder was left alone and he heard receding steps. However, the moment later, when he almost fell asleep again, a pitcher of ice cold water was rudely damped on his head.

"What the fuck!" Jared abruptly bolted into sitting position ready to jump off the bed and decorate Damian's face with black eyes and at least a broken nose. Instead he found himself staring at the cold, imperturbable face of Hephaistion who calmly put the pitcher back on the table and sat on the dry part of the bed as if nothing happened.

"Works as charm on Alexander too," the general said smugly and threw a towel in Jared's direction.

"You have awful bedside manners," angrily said Jared and shifted to the drier space on the bed. It brought him closer to Hephaistion but he didn't care; at that moment he simply wanted to be left alone and get back to sleep. "Weren't you supposed to present some plan to Alexander in the morning? I don't like your early visits to my bedroom. Your timing always sucks."

"Same can be said about your choice of bedmates," calmly responded Hephaistion.

"If you are going to tell me that … what's her name… Larissa is dead, I will truly start to believe that Alexander wants me to fuck Bagoas and Bagoas alone."

"Larissa is fine. Do you know any other verbs in English?"

Jared snorted. "And it's from a guy who sends porn letters to Aristotle. Anyway, as long as it's not Alexander, why do you care with whom I sleep?"

It was Hephaistion turn to snort. "I am not going to deign you with an answer about Alexander, as for the woman with whom you slept this night, I truly don't care, but I am sure Ptolemy does."

Jared felt his whole body stiffened. He didn't expect this turn of events. So much for Thais' assurances of secrecy. But there was no point to pretend. "How do you know?"

"Bagoas told me."

"Ah?" Jared stared at Hephaistion in disbelieve. "What do you mean?"

"Well, long story short, the eunuch became distressed and frustrated that you don't….well, pay him any attention. So, I guess he decided to find out what your tastes exactly are. He followed you secretly at the night parties but each time you returned to your bed to sleep alone. Last night he hit a jackpot but even he was able to recognize the stupidity of your choice. You maybe you don't know but these palaces are riddled with hidden passages and secret spaces. When he realized what you and Thais were up to, he decided to stay and watch.

I am sure it was because he wanted to learn what you like but to me he politely explained he was horrified of Ptolemy's sudden appearance and was ready to rush in and pretend that you were making love to him under Thais' tutelage. Even poor Arrhidaeus won't believe that explanation. Anyway, after you got back to your rooms, Bagoas rushed to mine, so you are not the only one who started this morning with unpleasant surprise. I had to go to Alexander first. Ptolemy also was there but it looked like he spent an uneventful night after we parted our ways last night. Let's hope his spies are not as good as mine."

"Bagoas is your spy?"

"No, but I am happy that he wisely decided to come with his discovery to me and not to Alexander. I ordered him to keep his mouth shut and I advise you… no, I order you a). not to tell anything to Alexander and b). stop this thing with Thais."

"You can't order me," said Jared firmly but with a very little hope that it was going to work.

"Jared," Hephaistion said calmly but menacingly. "I like you a lot and I am very happy that you came here. I truly am, but my first priority is Alexander. He has a lot on his plate right now and I won't allow anybody, not even you, to add any unnecessary problems to it. What do you think will happen if Ptolemy discovers that you sleep with Thais? Do you think he'll keep it quiet? And what Alexander is going to do when he'll be forced to choose between his marshal and you?"

"We'll be discreet," tried to promise Jared knowing full well that Hephaistion wasn't going to buy it.

Hephaistion angrily punched the mattress. "I don't have time or patience for this stupidity. I thought better of you. I thought you came here to help Alexander, not to create additional problems. Find yourself somebody else. Don't mess with Thais."

Jared was about to accuse Hephaistion of being paranoid and overly protective over Alexander and himself, but seeing a genuine concern behind the cold mask of superiority, thought better of it.

"Look, maybe it wasn't the brightest of my ideas," reconciliatory started Jared. "I simply got annoyed that everybody tries to arrange my love affairs for me. I thought it was a good joke to share later with Alexander. It was easier than I thought. To a certain degree I was disappointed. I hoped Thais would play a harder ball. I am sure I am not the only guy with whom Thais strayed. I wonder now, maybe Ptolemy even knows, maybe he doesn't care, maybe…."

"Listen to me, Jared," Hephaistion's tone was cold and somewhat aloof, "you came here knowing nothing about the people or the time that we live in. Maybe you came to amuse yourself or gather juicy information and head back. Maybe you think that Alexander's favor and our unexplained connection is all you need. But you are wrong. You will listen to what I say and you will do what I say. If you don't like this arrangement, you can leave any time."

"I wonder what will happen if I tell him that we came here to save his and Alexander's life," Jared thought bitterly. He knew that the chiliarch was absolutely right, it was stupid idea to sleep with Thais, but he just liked the challenge. He definitely didn't plan for Hephaistion to discover his little adventure so soon. "That idiot Bagoas!" Jared thought while trying to pretend that he was considering Hephaistion's threat, "who asked that stupid fruitcake to spy on me! He wanted to know my tastes! I will show him my tastes. I will ask Frada to hang him by his balls in one of those secret passages until he dies. It will teach him not to mess with other people's love interests!"

Hephaistion watched Jared intently trying to guess what was going in his mind. He knew it was unfair to accuse the actor in coming here for the sake of entertainment. Hephaistion was almost sure that their arrival was due to the impeding death of Alexander which they would try to prevent. From the very moment both Jared and Damian showed up in Alexander's bedroom, he debated with himself whether to admit to the pair his own knowledge of the future.

After weighting a lot pros and cons, Hephaistion decided against it. He didn't want to put them into uncomfortable situation. He would have to tell he read about his own death and then they would feel embarrassed to admit they were here for Alexander's sake alone. It never crossed his mind that they would want to prevent his death as well.

He of course never told Alexander that he knew what was going to happen. It was one of a few things that he kept a secret from his beloved. "Perhaps, if I tell Jared truth about Thais, he would listen to me and be more careful. When I am gone, I want him to be near Alexander and have his full trust. I won't let anybody to poison their relationship."

"It happened many years ago," started Hephaistion as if silence between them was nothing else but prelude to the promised story. "Philip and Olympia, in a rare fit of cooperation, hired a very famous Thessalian hetaera, by the name of Callixena, to become Alexander's companion. She wasn't able to achieve the desired result and left quietly. She was beautiful and highly educated and she knew her worth. Even if she was frustrated by this failure, she didn't show it. But somebody had a long tongue and this event became a public knowledge in Macedonia and in lots of Greek city states.

At some point the rumor reached Athens and Thais, then upstart hetaera, not yet very wide known but extremely ambitious, decided that she could succeed where Callixena failed. One day, a few years later, she showed up in Pella and gained access to King Philip. It happened right after Pixodarus affair. Do you know what I am talking about?"

"Yes," confirmed Jared. He was glad that Hephaistion calmed down after his initial outburst. Quarrel with Hephaistion was the last thing that the actor had in mind. If he had time, he would become angry with himself for his own treatment of Hephaistion and he would never suspected that such thing could happen because of Thais. In his mind, she was Ptolemy's mistress and possible instigator of the famous burning of Persepolis. Beautiful and charming, great in bed, nothing more, nothing less. Whatever story Hephaistion was about to tell him, would be a complete surprise, judging by the hitherto unknown fact that Thais visited Philip in Pella.

"Philip was amused by Thais suggestion and said she could try. He didn't see any harm in it. If she would succeed, hoped Philip, the affair would distract Alexander from the unhappy fact that his father had to banish some of his friends after the botched attempt to thwart Philip's plans of marrying Arrhidaeus off."

"Were you among those who were exiled?" asked Jared.

"No," said Hephaistion without going into any further details. "Back to Thais. She failed as well though Alexander treated her as honorably as he treated Callixena before. Instead of cutting her losses and leave, she decided to exact revenge. She left Pella and went to see Attalos who was with Philip's advance army in Persia. She arrived when Attalos was in a very foul mood. The troops just suffered a defeat at the hands of Memnon near Magnesia.

When Thais asked to see the general under the pretext that she can be of the great service to him, Attalos perhaps decided that she was offering her body. But what she told the general was probably the last piece of the good news that he was going to receive in his life."

"What did she tell him?" asked Jared, intrigued.

I am sharing it you this only because I want you to understand what kind of a person Thais is. Because of how close you to Alexander, you can't afford trust people and believe in sincerity of their feelings only because they say so. It's not only Thais, it's everybody. Those who declare themselves today as steadfast Alexander's friends and allies, will easily betray him if they think themselves strong enough.

So, when Thais was admitted into Attalos' presence she told him that he shouldn't fear Alexander ever becoming the next king of Macedon. He will never be Philip's successor because he won't be able to produce his own."

"What do you mean?" asked Jared, frowning.

"Well, she told him that not only Alexander wasn't interested in women, he wasn't able to properly perform with them. He wasn't even able to take a man; that I was Alexander's eromenos only in name but in reality he was mine. It was a secret closely guarded by the royal family, it was the reason why Alexander wasn't married; it was a reason why Philip married Attalos' own niece because he wanted a male heir that would be able to assure the future succession."

"You can't be serious," Jared shook his head in disbelieve, "why would she say such a thing?"

"You can't believe because you think better of her, or for some other reason?"

"I,…I don't know," Jared was talking the truth. "It's just…., I don't really know. But how did you find out?"

"Quite by chance," admitted Hephaistion. "A little too late as well. I wish I knew it earlier. In any case, as you can imagine, Attalos quite welcomed such news. The information seemed trustworthy and he could understand why Philip never shared it with him. Everybody knew that Alexander didn't spend time with women and everybody knew about our relationship as well. It did seem strange to many, even at our last years at Pella, that we were carrying our relationship far beyond an acceptable age for such an affair; besides, even though I am inferior to Alexander in social status, I am older than he by two years. Even with his disinterest in women, Alexander was supposed to take young pages to his bed, not somebody like me.

Thais further ingratiated himself with Attalos by saying that she recently made acquaintance with Ptolemy, who was one of the closest friends of Alexander, and offered her services to spy on him. Attalos rewarded her very generously but he didn't have time to fully profit from this knowledge. Very soon news reached the camp the Philip was dead and Alexander declared a new king.

Attalos still thought that he had chances. On one hand, he sent a letter to Alexander acknowledging him as a rightful king and assuring him of his undying loyalty. On the other hand, he went to Parmenion. He told his father-in-law what he learned from Thais and urged to form an alliance, return to Macedon and depose and then kill Alexander proclaiming Karanos, the young son of Philip by his niece Eurydice, an heir. In the meantime, both of them would be declared regents. Attalos tried to convince Parmenion that Alexander would never trust him and it was better to strike the first blow.

Parmenion received his own letter from Alexander. He wisely chose to side with Alexander and speedily followed his orders executing Attalos."

"Do you think Parmenion later regretted his choice?" with interest asked Jared.

"I don't know for sure, but I think not. He and Alexander disagreed a lot, but Parmenion lived and died for the glory of Macedon. Attalos' plan would cause civil war and throw Macedon many years backward. He was very proud of Alexander's achievements though he often liked to point out how much Alexander owed to Philip. But it's understandable, just like Alexander and I, Philip and Parmenion were friends from the very early days of their lives. Parmenion was capable of putting his personal interests aside for the sake of Macedon, unfortunately Philotas wasn't. It's a pity that Parmenion had to die because of his son's stupidity but there was no other choice.

I had a lot of grudges against Parmenion and hated his constant meddling in Alexander's and mine relationship, but I never thought there was any special reason for that. Several days after we got confirmation that Parmenion was taken out, one of his servants, an old man, came to me asking for asylum. I was surprised that the man decided to seek me out instead of disappearing. The man told me that he learnt about his master death and Philotas' execution when he arrived to our camp from Ecbatana and that Parmenion dispatched him with important letter to me just a few days before his own untimely demise. I was intrigued and opened the letter.

I very much didn't like what I read. It was a lengthy letter where Parmenion tried to convince me that he never bore any resentment towards me. Then he explained his constant concern and nagging of Alexander remaining single and not producing an heir. He repeated what Thais told Attalos and what Attalos told him. He added that he didn't believe a word of what Thais was saying because he knew from Philotas of Alexander's escapades with women before we became lovers. He didn't think much of Thais' accusations since Attalos' death because he wasn't aware of her presence in Alexander's camp before the famous burning of Persepolis.

He apologized that it took him several months to send me this message but he wasn't sure whether it was wise thing to tell anybody. In the end he decided to tell me and not Alexander. He advised me to beware of Thais and urged to convince Alexander to marry. He said only I could do that. It was strange to read the words of the dead man. It sounded almost endearingly when he tried to assure me that Alexander's marriage won't change our relationship, because Alexander truly loved me and nobody else.

I couldn't show this letter to Alexander at the time. I knew that he would be distressed. He regretted the necessity to kill Parmenion. You see, though I told you that you can't trust anybody and this unfortunate tune sang by Alexander and me to each other on numerous occasions, we still get attached to the people that surround us for years. Not everybody is a traitor, you just don't know who really is."

"So, did you tell Alexander later?" asked Jared, quite upset by this story. He never thought of Thais, as none of historians did, in such negative terms. He doubted that even Ptolemy knew but if he did, he wasn't about to tell anybody.

"Yes, I did, though I hated the necessity. By that time, Thais was rather established Ptolemy's mistress though he kept it private for quite some time. This is probably why Parmenion learnt of it so late. Alexander couldn't simply order Ptolemy to get rid of her, he had to explain the reason or invent one. We didn't think it was wise."

"Why you didn't get rid of her by…. other means?" asked Jared believing it was a simple enough solution at those times.

"Alexander wasn't sure that Parmenion was telling the truth in his letter, or maybe Attalos invented the whole story to get Parmenion on his side. But we got confirmation that Thais indeed visited Attalos in the days before Philip's death, though who knows for what reason. Personally, I don't think that Parmenion invented the story, or even Attalos."

"Why?"

"I remember one time, during one of the private parties where Thais was present, funny enough it was during our prolonged stay in Persepolis, drunk Coenus wanted to tease Ptolemy and told him how Thais unsuccessfully tried to seduce Alexander back in Pella when he was exiled after Pixodarus affair. Ptolemy didn't take it too close to the heart but I remember that Thais laughed nervously and tried to shift conversation into another area. Everybody thought she was embarrassed because she didn't want Ptolemy to know. After reading and rereading Parmenion's letter, I tried to remember everything I could about Thais. I think her embarrassed behavior during that night in Persepolis was due to the fact that Coenus was married to Attalos' daughter and she might suspected him of knowing something."

"I thought Coenus was married to Parmenion's daughter?" asked Jared.

"I am glad you listening carefully. Before marrying Parmenion's daughter, he was married to Attalos'. She died in childbirth."

"I see. So, you think Parmenion's letter contains truth?"

"Yes. But Alexander…Sometimes he likes to give people a second chance."

"You don't?"

Hephaistion shook his head. "It's not about me. But if you want to know my opinion, I don't trust Thais."

"All right," accepted Jared. "Truth or not, as I already said, I have no problem to admit that sleeping with Thais was a bad idea. What do you think I should do now?"

"Don't bluntly reject Thais. If she seeks your company again, tell her that you love her and because of that love you are willing to sacrifices your own needs for the sake of her safety. Tell her that you don't want to come between her and Ptolemy. She must believe you. Send pining glances from time to time in her direction. It will boost her confidence in her powers of seduction."

"I would never guess that she lacked self-confidence. After all, you said it yourself, she was very young when she tried to seduce Alexander. Surely, since then she matured enough not to worry about such things."

"Better be safe than sorry. I am leaving in three days so you have to promise not to screw things up in my absence."

"Damn, I didn't realize it's happening so soon."

"Don't worry, we'll see each other again soon. Do you already know that your friend Damian coming with me?"

"What?" Jared was taken aback by this revelation. He realized that it was probably the important thing that the doctor wanted to share with him earlier in the morning. "But how? He supposed to shadow Eumenus and secretary is staying with Alexander."

"Hmmm, I think your friend wanted some break. He courageously went to Alexander and admitted that he can't travel by ship because of the sea sickness and some other medical condition. He asked to be temporally relived from his duties at Eumenus side and be reassigned to my staff. Alexander magnanimously agreed."

"Conniving rascal, he didn't tell me anything," Jared smiled. He wasn't angry; quite to the contrary; he applauded Damian's idea to be at Hephaistion's side when the general took half of the army by land to the Persian Gulf. "So, Alexander and I will be left alone to our own devices. Do you trust us?"

"Yeah, if you promise me to behave with Thais, the worst that can happen - Alexander will force you into threesome with Bagoas."


	16. Book of Tripolis, Ch 9 Farewell, Susa

Title: Alexander Revisited

Disclaimer # 1: I am fully aware that the movie with the same title exists (on DVD); this story was born out of that movie but took a turn to AU where it would reside with no intention of coming into a conflict with the original creation.

Disclaimer # 2: This story is a pure fiction. I don't know the real people involved; anything they do and say in my story has nothing to do with the actual lives of those people.

A/N - Thank you, my wonderful friends, who read and commented on the chapters that I already posted. My special regards to those who commented for the first time and who added this story to their favorites and story alert. It would be also wonderful to hear the thoughts of those who read the story but didn't voice their opinion yet. Thank you all.

A/N – In this chapter I use the word 'frenemy' (friend and enemy combined in one) because it fits the narrative perfectly. I thought the word was very recent invention, but according to Wikipedia it first appeared in print in 1953. So, it's not so new.

Warning: this chapter rated M for graphic description of sex and violence.

_Susa, 324 BC_

Jared wisely decided that there was no point to appraise Damian about his encounter with Thais and a resulting visit from Hephaistion. He knew that the doctor would get mad. Besides, there was very little time to talk. The few days before the part of the army left with Hephaistion were packed with meetings and last minute preparations, living very little time for soul bearing.

Deep in his heart Jared hoped that Thais would forget about their little adventure and leave him alone. Besides, she wasn't supposed to go with them to the Persian Gulf, but in a few days, together with many other women, including the Queen Roxana, head directly to Ecbatana and take part in the preparation of the celebrations. Sisigambis, Queen Stateira, Drypetis and most of the other Persian wives of Alexander's generals were leaving for Babylon shortly.

But the night after Hephaistion's departure, when Alexander and some of his close friends after spending an evening together decided to call it a night, Larissa appeared in front of Jared and, coming closely, lifted her head, offering her lips to Jared for a kiss. Under the shouts of encouragement and instructions how to proceed, Jared played eagerness in granting the hetaera a kiss and, sliding his arm around her waist, drew her even closer to himself. After that he appeared flashed and excited and, hurriedly saying goodbye to his friends, almost run with Larissa to his own rooms.

They played this game several times during the week so everybody logically assumed Larissa at last broke her mourning period after the death of general Kenos and Jared at last found himself a permanent mistress. Larissa spent two nights in Jared's apartment and Jared one night in hers but nothing more than ardent public kisses happened. Larissa assured him that Thais was looking forward to the opportunity to meet him again and would arrange such a meeting as soon as it was possible. Jared decided to play it safe confessing to Larissa his undying love for Thais but at the same time expressing concern for her safety if Ptolemy accidentally finds out about their secret passion.

Only two days were left till Alexander and the rest of the army were leaving with the ships and Jared hoped that Ptolemy would decide to spend the nights with Thais because they were not going to see each other for a couple of months. Just when he was leaving to join Alexander and some of his companions for the almost regular evening get together, Larissa appeared in his rooms urging Jared to follow her.

"Thais is free this night," she whispered in his ear, "Alexander requested Ptolemy and Nearchus to stay with him to discuss the details of the forthcoming voyage and Thais is very eager to see you. I will take you to the place where she'll be waiting; it's not in her regular rooms."

Larissa told the truth; the moment Thais saw Jared, she waved her friend to go away and, weaving her arms around Jared, gave him a very passionate and hungry kiss. Jared thought it would be easy. They'll speedily make love and then Jared will pour his concerns about being discovered by Ptolemy and, bringing Thais' safety as an excuse, will bring their affair to the end, declaring his undying love and forever broken heart nevertheless. He knew that they were going to be apart for several months in any case, but Jared realized that the last thing he wanted to deal with in Ecbatana was his affair with Thais.

Things, however, didn't go as he thought. After the first ardent display of passion, Thais cooled down, and started to play a game of slow seduction. She offered him some food mentioning its aphrodisiac and arousing properties; Jared impatiently informed her that he doesn't need help in that department, especially now. Then she offered him some drink declaring that it possessed some calming abilities. Jared tried to refuse but Thais literally begged saying that she wants to prolong the pleasure. Then she announced that she wanted to play some sort of dice game with the looser removing one piece of the garment and Jared, grinding the teeth, agreed with a firm intention to loose as promptly as possible. However, even with this goal in mind, the game took a long time especially since they had a disagreement what to consider one piece.

After Jared managed successfully to loose three rounds, Thais declared that she's changing the rules, and now the winner had to undress. Jared was clearly loosing not only the game but also his ability to think straight. Thais only jiggled and smiling lovingly and shifting very seductively, murmured that the true man should know how to contain his passion till the appropriate moment. By the time Jared got what he wanted, breaking with Thais was the last thing on his mind.

o o o o o

Eumenus was in a sour mood and he didn't bother to hide it. Up until now he didn't realize how much his new friend Gavalos managed to dissipate the loathing he felt for the most of Alexander's retinue. But Gavalos left with Hephaistion and though as far as Eumenus knew the general had nothing to do with this decision, his hatred for the chiliarch grew even further.

Gavalos wasn't a Greek but he wasn't a Macedonian or Persian either. He didn't swell with his own importance because of his closeness to the king and from the very beginning Eumenus found a lot of things in common with his own secretary. It was how most of the Alexander's entourage called Damian.

At some point Eumenus was concerned about the perceived closeness of Gavalos to Hephaistion, but Damian very skillfully managed to persuade Eumenus that this "closeness" was forced on him, that he despised and detested the chiliarch but was obliged to play this role because of the certain circumstances. He hinted that despite the fact that he and Laertes came to Alexander's court together, he didn't like and didn't trust Laertes much, that Laertes treated him almost like his servant, which he was not. They were absolutely equal in status and all other things but Laertes, just like Hephaistion, thought that because of his beauty and his closeness to Alexander, people should bow to them in reverence and respect.

This point of view very much coincided with Eumenus own opinion, and though he didn't openly said anything incriminating out of caution, he enjoyed Gavalos' company a lot and looked forward to their time together. Now and then he allowed his guard fall and reveal his dislike of Hephaistion and many others to Gavalos and saw with a gleam of satisfaction how much his feelings were shared by his new friend. He didn't dare to cross a certain line of prudence yet but he knew that if ever he was to seek ally and confidant, Gavalos was certainly a man with whom he will be willing to take his chances.

Eumenus was brought back to reality by Ishvat, his eunuch servant who originally was from the same town of Cardia as Eumenus. He was kidnapped for his beauty by some brigands and bought by traders who knew that they could earn a lot of money by selling him to those who would turn this boy into a very desirable eunuch. Despite Macedonian Army marching triumphant through the once mighty Persian empire, the custom of castrating boys and turning them into the sex toys didn't disappear or went underground. This is how a pretty looking slave orphan Polidemos who served his Greek master as a stable help became a eunuch and in his short life changed a lot of masters, passed as a gift from one high ranking Persian official to another.

He didn't stay long with anybody because despite his delicate and gentle features he was a ball of hatred inside. His masters were able to take pleasure of him only after dragging him semi unconscious and quickly got tired and sold or gifted him to the next willing person. His new name was Ishvat that meant "desired" and indeed many we eager to buy him anticipating to succumb to his skills but very quickly learnt that they bought a wild cat. Ishvat possessed not only outstanding beauty but also a quick mind and exceptional memory. He easily learned Persian, knew by name most of the high ranking military and court officials of both Achemenid and Macedonian empire and patiently waited for his chance to run from his master, whoever he might be at the appropriate moment and using compassion from some Macedonian solder or even better officer either become a part of Macedonian Army or return back to the town from where he was kidnapped.

But the gods of good luck paid very little attention to him. At last he found himself at Susa, several months before Alexander's army arrived there. He learned about impeding wedding and swallowing his pride did his best to satisfy his current master, one of the middle range officials in charge of the wedding preparations. His master, by the name of Artakofet, was very proud of his new acquisition, and didn't loose his change to brag about him, both to his Persian compatriots and to those Macedonian officers who were sent by Alexander to Susa prior to the arrival of the main army.

Ishvat tried in vain to earn compassion from his fellow countrymen who didn't care much about his origin. They viewed him a spoilt precocious brat who earned his fortunes warming his masters' bed whereas they sustain wounds and hardships during Alexander's campaign. The fact that his present master Artakofet showered him with gifts and proclaimed his skills at every corner didn't help his cause at all. Ishvat became even more miserable, desperate and embittered. But at last gods smiled on him, or so he thought at the moment. He came to the attention of Eumenus and the secretary thought it won't hurt to have a pretty slave who could fluently speak both Greek and Persian, knew Susa and many other places like the palm of his own hand, and could effortlessly navigate through Persian complicated and absurd customs.

Eumenus approached Ishvat's master on the matter but Artakofet asked a steep price. Eumenus wasn't going to part with so significant amount of money for sake of pretty useful slave and was going to abandon the idea when Ishvat came to Eumenus with so much dirty information about his master that in the end it was Artakofet who paid Eumenus to keep him silent and gave him Ishvat for free. Eumenus gleefully rubbed his hands at this bargain and took Ishvat under his wing. However, he saw no reason to bind the usefulness of the new slave to his administrative and spying abilities only and promptly bedded the unwilling youth earning instead of undying gratitude very well hidden but deep seeded hatred and revenge. Ishvat decided to bide his time. Eumenus was no wiser.

"What's the matter?" asked Eumenus with irritation not trying to conceal his displeasure of being disturbed.

"Master," Ishvat bowed and then dropped on one knee keeping his eyes to the floor. "I discovered some information that may gladden your heart. I thought it wise to bring it to your attention immediately.

"Let me be judge of that," snapped Eumenus not willing to give Ishvat any credit. "What did you learn?"

"I know how you were upset when Lady Larissa became Laertes' mistress. I am aware how much desire you have for her in your noble heart."

"I don't need to be reminded of the fact that that slut preferred the company of the upstart popinjay," hissed Eumenus.

"You may be mistaken about the lady," whispered Ishvat. "I think she is still unattached. She is just acting as a cover for a scandalous affair that one of her friends having with Laertes."

"Scandalous? In what sense?" Eumenus became more attentive to what his slave was saying.

"In a sense that her patron won't be pleased if he discovers the truth."

"Don't be too vague. Whom are you talking about?"

"Thais," almost inaudibly said Ishvat.

"Oh," Eumenus opened his mouth in surprise, "this is hard to believe. Are you absolutely sure?"

"Absolutely," murmured the slave.

Eumenus eyes gleamed with evil joy. "Good boy," he pattered Ishvat's head in what he thought was a gesture of appreciation, "you served me well today and earned my thanks, I may allow you the pleasure of serving me in bed later tonight, but first we need to make a proper use of this information." Eumenus noticed with satisfaction that Ishvat's body trembled at the mention of serving him in bed mistakenly taking disgust for eagerness.

"So, tell me what you've learned," continued Eumenus turning with his back to nearby group of his frenemies that consisted of Perdiccas, Seleucus, Krateros and Leonnatos.

"The affair between Larissa and Laertes is just a decoy. Right now Laertes and Thais enjoying each other very passionately in some very well hidden corner of this palace."

"Do you know where this location is? Can you take me there?"

"Yes," Ishvat nodded in confirmation, "it's not very far from here. I can take you there, if you wish." Ishvat didn't have any particular grudge against Jared, Thais or Ptolemy for that matter. He didn't feel any compassion for anybody either. He suffered a lot in his short life and nobody lifted a finger to help him. Let others suffer as well; his current mission in life was to bring as much grief to others as possible.

"Very well," said Eumenus and fell silent thinking how to use this information to the best. Not long time ago Ptolemy publicly humiliated him when it became known that Larissa spurned his advances and Thais, singing the same tune, jokingly suggested that he had to take lessons on how properly court a woman. "Now I am going to teach you both a lesson," viciously thought Eumenus and if I can bring Laertes into open confrontation with Ptolemy, all the better, he is in dire need to be shown his proper place."

"I am going to bring some company along," said Eumenus to Ishvat. "Keep your mouth shut of what to expect. Under no circumstances should my friends know whom or what they are going to see. Understood?"

"Yes, master," humbly agreed Ishvat, unperceptively curving his lips in joy.

"Who's up for a once in a lifetime entertainment?" cheerfully asked Eumenus turning at 180 degrees and facing the company of his friends who were doing quite well without his presence.

"You? Entertainment?" slightly drunk Leonnatus asked in a mocked surprise and blew his lips making rather unpleasant sound.

Under any other circumstances Eumenus would promptly answer with some rude gesture and remark but today Leonnatus wasn't the mark of his revenge.

"Yes, entertainment," Eumenus stupidly smiled as if not noticing Leonnatus insult. "Even that boy blushed when he was telling me the details," and Eumenus nodded in Ishvat's direction trying to smile as lewd as possible.

"Forget it," Krateros waved his hand in dismissal, "I don't know about you, Eumenus, but we saw it all," and Krateros started to list the juiciest vulgarities that he ever saw or participated in.

"That's boring," disdainfully interrupted him Eumenus trying to pick everybody's interest, "your list of characters consists of nameless fucks, I am inviting you to a far more high ranking entertainment, so to speak."

"How high-ranking?" asked Seleucus with interest.

"Can't say," said Eumenus enigmatically.

"You are not talking about Alexander, I hope?" cautiously asked Perdiccas.

"I am not suicidal," assured him secretary. "So, who is in?"

In the end, all the company joined Eumenus and they left the hall together, following Ishvat. First Eumenus regretted that Ptolemy was absent but then he decided that it would be even more humiliating for the somatophylax to hear about Thais' adventures from the lips of his friends. He was sure that the real story will be supplemented by many additional, excruciatingly humiliating details.

But just when the group was about to step into some hidden corridor of the palace that lead directly to the place where Jared and Thais were enjoying each other, they came across Alexander and Ptolemy who, in the company of Nearchus and Proteas were coming back to their respective quarters from the late meeting they had with navigating officers and naval engineers.

Before Eumenus could utter a single word, Perdiccas heartily invited the king and his other friends to join the special entertainment. Ptolemy tried to wriggle out of participation in the communal fun but Proteas started to tease him that all too often he prefers the company of his beloved Thais to that of his king and his friends. Ptolemy grudgingly agreed. He completely misinterpreted the scowl on Eumenus face; at that moment only the king's secretary could appreciate the irony of the remark.

o o o o o

Bagoas wasn't a fool. He was taught well and had a lot of chances to enrich that knowledge with his personal experiences. Men had different preferences in bed and though many enjoyed the forages into unknown territory, they always returned to their preferences, to their true preferences. Without any shadow of doubt Bagoas knew that his new master's preferences lay completely in women's area. It was not because despite of several months of unrelenting attempts Bagoas still was unable to seduce Laertes, it was because he saw how effortlessly Thais achieved her goal in just a few days.

Bagoas had to give Thais her due, she knew how to give pleasure to a man and how to take one in return. Laertes also seemed to know quite well what he was doing and Bagoas was duly impressed with his master's stamina and creativity. In his life Bagoas watched too many men in the privacy of their bedrooms and he knew that the boastful descriptions during drinking parties often were wishful exaggerations of the reality. It definitely wasn't a case with Laertes. For the obvious reasons he kept his mouth shut about his adventure with Thais but when asked about Larissa's skills and his own preferences, Laertes just narrowed his eyes and advised that he preferred to keep his private affairs private.

Bagoas attentively watched how the second round of the lovemaking was going. Unlike in the beginning, Laertes took control and now he was teasing Thais as mercifully as she teased him not so long time ago. Bagoas was impressed by the amount of self control that Laertes was exhibiting while Thais was completely at his mercy, uttering obscenities and begging for more pleasure. Laertes continued to tease and laugh while Thais' voice, almost inhuman now, was an incredible mixture of moans, sobs and laughs. Laughs actually were becoming a dominant sound, deep, male voices…. Bagoas froze.

The laughs weren't coming from the improvised bedroom, they were coming from one of the hidden corridors and as they became more loud they also became more recognizable. Bagoas realized with horror what was going to happened next. The uninvited visitors will reach the next bend of the corridor and enter the room where Laertes and Thais were enjoying each other.

There was no time for thinking. Bagoas rushed into the room and jumped on the bed tearing his clothes off. He pushed disoriented Thais out, hissing, "Alexander, Ptolemy and others are coming. Get dressed and sit on that couch, pretend you teach us." He then slapped Jared on the face, trying to get his undivided attention, "Take me," he ordered and slipped under his master, widely opening his legs and quickly closing them around Jared's waist. He pushed bewildered actor forward forcing a rough entrance into himself. Bagoas was completely unprepared and spasm of pain shot through his body as a barbed arrow. Bringing his arms upward, he entangled his fingers in Jared's disheveled locks, grasping his lips in a wild kiss. Yet he mentally smiled watching with the corner of his eye frantic Larissa helping Thais to put some clothes on and dropping together with her friend of the couch the moment before the door to the room flung open under somebody's push.

"So, what do we have here?" merrily asked Perdiccas waving his torch from one side to another.

"You always spoil all the fun, Perdiccas, with your straightforwardness," teasingly complained Leonnatos giving his friend rather a hard push that almost send the general falling over the couch where Thais and Larissa half sat half lied almost buried under the heap of semi transparent shawls and coverlets.

"Watch it," cried out Ptolemy in alarm grasping Perdiccas' hand with torch, "are you drunk?"

"What the fuck?" screamed Jared and pushed Bagoas aside. "I didn't ask for the audience. Take your stupid asses out of my bedroom."

"What's going on here?" asked Alexander entering the room in the company of Krateros. They were the last two of the group.

"I guess this is the high quality entertainment that Eumenus promised us," Seleucus supplied the king with a prompt answer.

"Is it so?" coldly asked Alexander turning to his secretary.

Eumenus went pale. This was not how he envisioned their grand entrance.

"Allow me," Thais gracefully slipped from the couch, heavily embroidered shawl covering most of her body. "Your Majesty," Thais slightly bowed her head in king's direction. "Laertes asked us for some advice regarding bedding a eunuch. He didn't wanted to offend you by completely rejecting your gift, but he had no idea how to accomplish this task."

"And what happened to Bagoas' ideas?" sneered Nearchus.

"Nothing," calmly responded Thais, "but Laertes likes to take control, and…"

"That's enough," Ptolemy interrupted his mistress, "I expressly forbade you to participate in such activities."

Thais curved her lips in defiance and boldly stared at her lover. Ptolemy's glance was disheartening and Thais, not wishing to acknowledge a defeat, brought her hand to her face as if to fix an unruly lock. When she saw Ptolemy's glance gliding along her arm, she realized with horror that the gesture was her undoing. Not finding what he was looking for, the general quickly scanned the room. Hetaera saw her lover's body stiffened; she followed his glance and saw what he saw, her favorite bracelet lying discarded on the floor near the bed.

"Our king asked you a question," Krateros said in a cold voice to Eumenus. He hated the secretary and liked Laertes. He didn't want his friend to become a butt of the lewd jokes.

"I had no idea, Majesty, " Eumenus was really scared, it seemed that absolutely everybody in this room was against him, "my slave told me that some high ranking official, who likes to boast about his exploits in the bed is in reality an impotent and we can make fun of him by exposing his weakness. Isn't it so, Ishvat?" in a rather firm and confident voice asked Eumenus, sure that his eunuch was smart enough to confirm the quickly concocted lie.

But Ishvat suddenly decided it was time to change the master. Not that he thought that the next one would be any better, he simply hoped that he would be more powerful or at least not interested in his body.

"Nothing of the kind," boldly stated the eunuch, "I told him that Lady Thais…."

Ishvat didn't have a chance to finish the sentence. Ptolemy was not going to let anybody to smear his official mistress' name with dirt. With a lightening speed he drew his sword and slid Ishvat's throat with such a force that he almost severed the head. The dead eunuch collapsed on the floor in a pool of quickly spreading blood, his legs unpleasantly twitching for some moments.

Everybody watched the scene with apparent disinterest; they saw so many ugly deaths on the battlefield that nothing could dishearten them any more and they cared very little for a slave most of them didn't even knew.

"Can we take our leave, Alexander?" asked Ptolemy as if nothing happened. He was cleaning his sword with the dress of the dead Ishvat.

"Yes," Alexander curtly nodded and Ptolemy, not waiting for any words from his comrades, moved in the direction of the door gesturing to Thais to follow him.

"So much for the promised entertainment," yawned Seleucus, "Alexander, do you need us for anything else or we can follow Ptolemy's example?"

"You may all leave," agreed Alexander. "Eumenus, next time check your sources more carefully. Laertes, you will come with me and, Bagoas, make somebody to clean this mess."

o o o o o

"I though Hephaistion told you to stop this thing with Thais," accusatory said Alexander to Jared when they were in the privacy of the king's bedroom.

"He also expressly forbade me to tell you anything. It looks like he disregarded his own order," complained Jared.

"We don't have secrets from each other. He was worried that something might go wrong and warned me beforehand. I see he was right."

Jared sat on a couch and shrugging his shoulders, said, "I did exactly what he asked me to do. In order not to put Thais on some weird path of revenge I was to sleep with her one last time and then call the affair off using the danger to her as an excuse. How would I know that half of the palace was spying on me?"

"Don't flatter yourself," said Alexander half angry half amused. "The affair with Thais was a mistake from the very beginning."

"Says who?"

"Says the common sense."

"What does it have to do with me?"

"Jared!"

"All right, don't get mad. Too much excitement for one night and I hate to be interrupted. I am still hard, by the way."

"Oh?" Alexander quizzically raised one eyebrow and shamelessly looked in the relevant direction. "Yes, you are. Should I send for Bagoas?"

"No," Jared smirked, "I actually hoped you can lend me a helping hand."

"You have no shame, Jared," Alexander laughed.

"I see no shame in it. Can your servants at least prepare a warm bath for me?"

"Yes, but the cold one will be a quicker solution."

"I am not looking for a quicker solution but for a pleasanter one."

"You are impossible, Jared," Alexander laughed again and called one of his pages to relay his guest request. "So, you are not attracted to men at all?" the king continued his interrogation.

"Alexander, your line of questioning doesn't help. And no, I am not attracted to men, I am a strictly ladies' person."

"Not even to Hephaistion?"

Jared looked at Alexander in puzzlement. He didn't expect this question. It would be easy to say "no" but what if the king got offended? Alexander was a very challenging person to deal with. Sometimes Jared wished that it still had been Colin playing Alexander, not the real king.

And then he remembered. Sending a silent "thank you" to the Irishman, he leaned back on the assortment of pillows and rested his head on the bended fingers of his left hand, his elbow arched on the highest pillow. Then, shifting on the couch exactly in the manner that Colin did in his famous interview, Jared blushed and said, "Hephaistion is cute. Oh, I'll tell you. Hephaistion...Hephaistion, he'll make you doubt your heterosexuality, you know?"


	17. Book of Tripolis,Ch10Road to Ecbatana

Title: Alexander Revisited

Disclaimer # 1: I am fully aware that the movie with the same title exists (on DVD); this story was born out of that movie but took a turn to AU where it would reside with no intention of coming into a conflict with the original creation.

Disclaimer # 2: This story is a pure fiction. I don't know the real people involved; anything they do and say in my story has nothing to do with the actual lives of those people.

A/N - Thank you, my wonderful friends, who read and commented on the chapters that I already posted. My special regards to those who commented for the first time and who added this story to their favorites and story alert. It would be also wonderful to hear the thoughts of those who read the story but didn't voice their opinion yet. Thank you all.

_Between Susa and Ecbatana, 324 BC_

Jared didn't bother to pretend anymore that he was listening to the accusations that Damian spewed at him. What was the point? He also knew that if he interrupts and starts to defend himself this meeting will continue till the nightfall or maybe even further. In the days that it took Alexander's fleet to catch up with the army led by Hephaistion, Jared resigned to the idea that he would have to endure a lot of accusations and lectures from both Damian and Hephaistion.

He decided it was best to deal with the unpleasant situation as soon as possible so he sought Damian right away. As he predicted, his friend exploded right away completely ignoring Jared's initial attempts to explain. Despite all his preparedness, the actor felt frustrated. How much one can chew and regurgitate the same situation over and over? He just hoped that Hephaistion won't have as much spare time to berate him for what happened. Besides, he followed Chiliarch's instructions to the dot.

"Will you stop already?" at last losing the patience screamed Jared. "What is done can't be undone. We're wasting our time here. In any case, I highly doubt that my flirt with Thais has anything to do with Hephaistion's death. After all, I wasn't here the first time, or whatever we should call the reality before somebody decided to redo the History."

"You made Ptolemy your enemy!" shouted Damian.

"He never was my friend to begin with," reminded Jared. "Maybe it's even for the better. Now he will direct his hatred towards me instead of Hephaistion and Krateros".

"Don't presume yourself so important. And what is it about Ptolemy's hatred towards the generals?"

"Believe it or not, but my misadventure with Thais allowed me to learn a few interesting and highly disturbing facts about the future ruler of Egypt. Even if we rob the world of Cleopatra, I still would like to try my best to make sure that Ptolemy would never become an Egyptian pharaoh."

"Jared, we are here to save Hephaistion's life. If we achieve that, Ptolemy will never become Egypt's ruler."

"What happened to saving Alexander's life?" Jared challenged Damian. It was not for the first time that Jared marveled at Damian's change of heart. Before they left for Siwah, Jared's main concern was doctor's dislike of the Chiliarch and obsession with Alexander the Great. Now it seemed the poles were completely reversed. Damian worshiped Hephaistion and treated Alexander with distrust and contempt.

"Nothing happened to saving Alexander's life," Damian shrugged his shoulders. "I hope you remember, though, that Patroclus died first. So, we have to concentrate now on saving Hephaistion's life and after that we can see what we can do about saving Alexander's."

"I don't like this division and I don't think it's a right approach," crossed Jared. "Even if Alexander's and Hephaistion's deaths were not related, we can't completely ignore the fact of Alexander's impeding death now."

"What then, do you think Ptolemy so wanted to become the next Pharaoh of Egypt that he plotted to kill first Hephaistion and then Alexander? Whose stupid idea is that? Perdiccas'? "

"No, not Perdiccas'. Krateros'," very amicably said Jared. He was glad the conversation turned into the right direction. "Not about Ptolemy becoming a Pharaoh in particular but about Ptolemy in general, his secret ambitions and what he does to achieve them. You see, Bagoas may have saved Ptolemy's face with his bold action, but he didn't fool anybody. Alexander, of course, took pains to lecture me on my stupid choice but he didn't return to this topic again. During our river voyage, however, all of Alexander's friends thought it wise to scold and warn me. Each one in their own manner. Perdiccas was friendly and patronizing; Nearchus scolding and derisive, towards both Ptolemy and me, Leonnatos was lighthearted but foolishly reckless because I suspect Ptolemy overheard him, and Krateros was … enlightening."

"How so?"

"Well, I spent a lot of time with Krateros during our voyage. I believe he likes me or, should I say, he has plans for me. And no, it's not what you think. It's quite interesting, how people get ideas about other people. I truly can't understand why Krateros decided that I was a man for this job. I think he wants me to work on Hephaistion when he himself leaves with veterans for the coast."

"What do you mean by 'to work on Hephaistion?' " asked Damian with surprise.

"To make sure that he does certain things. And that he doesn't do others."

"You lost me," Damian admitted.

"Well," started Jared, "I would never say that I came to like Krateros but I can say with certainty that I started to see him in completely different light. Not the better light, but different. You see, as I am sure everybody else around Alexander, Krateros has his own ideas about what Macedonian empire should be. He thinks that Philip's model was perfect."

"No surprise there," scoffed Damian. "Alexander should have turned home after the battle of Issus, accepting Darius' terms, or the latest after the Babylon."

"Absolutely not. That was Parmenion's idea, or at least we think it was. If Alexander wouldn't have turned back in India, Krateros would still follow him, grudgingly, but follow."

"Did he say that to you?"

"Yes, and before you ask, I believed him. Krateros devoted to Alexander and will fight for him tooth and nail, both because he is the rightful king of Macedon and because he is …Alexander. But Philip's model, it's something else, something that Krateros saw in his youth and what he considers the best for Macedon and its king. When he first mentioned it, I also didn't understand but after he explained, I can see the logic of it and the attraction though I still don't understand why he chose me to share it with. Philip did a lot for Macedon, no argument there, and Krateros thinks that he managed to achieve it not only because his undisputable talents but also because he had Antipater and Parmenion to stand by his side.

Both were, well, Antipater still is, great generals on whom Philip could rely on battlefield. Parmenion and Antipater were completely interchangeable in that matter but in addition each of them had their own "specialty". Parmenion was army's general, he made sure that soldiers and officers were happy and when they weren't, he either resolved the matter by his own means or brought it to Philip's attention. With Parmenion's help, Philip didn't need to worry too much about the well being of his army, the training of new recruits and appointment of junior officers. Antipater, on the other hand, was a court general. He took care of diplomacy, both external and internal, settled minor disagreements between the courtiers and took care of what we call in our time official propaganda. As a result, Philip didn't need to spend too much time on those matters, he could completely rely on Parmenion and Antipater.

"Now, let me guess," interrupted Damian, "Krateros sees Alexander as Philip, himself as Parmenion and Hephaistion as Antipater?"

"Yes, you are correct. Only he considers Alexander far greater than Philip, and by extension himself greater that Parmenion and Hephaistion greater than Antipater."

"That's interesting. Are you saying that Krateros acknowledges Hephaistion's abilities as a military commander?" asked Damian with doubt.

Jared chuckled, "It took a great deal of my self control not to look too shocked when I heard his opinion of Hephaistion. Make no doubt, he still dislikes him and maybe even hates, but not for the reasons everybody presumed. He has no doubt, whatsoever, in Hephaistion's abilities as general. As a matter of fact, he thinks him far more capable than, say, Perdiccas, Ptolemy or the likes. Apart from Alexander and obviously himself, in Krateros opinion, only Philotas was maybe better. But Philotas had a flaw that was unforgivable in Krateros' eyes, he despised everybody for everything, and that was his weakness as a general and the reason for his downfall in the end. If any of the historians knew Krateros' opinion about Hephaistion's military abilities, they would die of shame because of what they wrote about the Chiliarch."

"So, what's Krateros' beef with Hephaistion then?"

"Aha, here is the interesting part. So, Alexander is greater than Philip, and Krateros greater than Parmenion, both as general and as "father" to Alexander's soldiers. He said that when he has children, he is going to make sure that none of them grows to become such a prick as Philotas. In the meantime, it is his responsibility to make sure that Alexander's soldiers are kept happy, paid well, promoted according to their abilities and the newbies are not bullied. Hephaistion's responsibility is to make sure that everybody loves and venerates Alexander, from every Greek city state to Macedonian court and backwaters to every new province that Alexander adds to his burgeoning empire."

"Krateros thinks that Hephaistion fails in his duties as Alexander's top diplomat?"

"Not so. Believe it or not, Krateros acknowledges that hiccups here and there are normal and even he screwed up a number of times. You know how Hephaistion was sometimes viewed as Alexander's sycophant and yes man? This is where Krateros gets upset with the Chiliarch. He thinks that Hephaistion has a huge influence over Alexander but he uses it in the wrong times for the wrong reasons. Basically, what Krateros says, if I put it in modern terms, Alexander is a genius and as every genius he needs somebody to direct his talents to the appropriate channels. He thinks that he and Hephaistion are the only two people who can do it but Hephaistion fails in his mission. Not because he couldn't but because he wouldn't. In Krateros' opinion, it spells disaster for Macedon."

"I don't understand any of this," admitted Damian.

"I believe you. It took me some time to figure that out. I think I understand now. Maybe."

"I find it hard to swallow that Krateros is willing and even insistent, on Hephaistion and not him, influencing Alexander. Wasn't he the one who fiercely challenged Hephaistion at any opportunity he had? Should I remind you about the famous episode in India?"

"No, you shouldn't. It's how our conversation jumped from Ptolemy to the whole grand scheme of influencing Alexander. Krateros puts the blame for the Alexander's outrageous words wholly on Ptolemy's shoulders. He told me about so called quarrel between him and Hephaistion. I am quite sure that Plutarch's version came from Ptolemy the Pharaoh of Egypt edition of truth."

"I wanted to ask Hephaistion about the quarrel," admitted Damian, "but I didn't have the balls."

"Well, here is how it went according to Krateros. Like most of the army, he thought that it made no sense to go deeper into India. Not because he was afraid that Alexander might be defeated but because the place was too remote from Macedon. He wanted not so much to return to Pella and live happily ever after but to go back to Mediterranean and start conquering closer places – Arabia, rest of modern North Africa, Spain and so forth. He tried to persuade Alexander but the king was stubborn, he wanted first to reach the end of the world and then come back and conquer the remaining part. Krateros realized that he needed Hephaistion's help. According to Krateros, they worked perfectly well together when there was a need to convince Alexander in something, for example the famous Philotas' affair and he vaguely mentioned Black Kleitos too.

However, this time Hephaistion was reluctant to lend Krateros his help. As long as Alexander wanted to move deeper into India, Hephaistion was going to support him and he advised Krateros to do the same. Krateros wasn't discouraged by the initial refusal. He tried again and again putting forward more and more arguments. Hephaistion didn't agree; mistakenly, in Krateros' opinion, but the general was convinced that in time he would be able to make Hephaistion see his reasons.

Krateros said that morning was completely unremarkable. They stayed a couple of days in the same place. The mood of the army was somewhat good because rains stopped, though nobody knew for how long. After what Krateros called communal breakfast of the top generals of the army everybody left to see to their respective duties and Krateros decided once again to try to persuade Hephaistion. He wasn't able to gain any grounds but he swears their conversation was mutually respectful though maybe a little heated. When they both recognized they reached impasse again, they decided to stop the argument and call it quits for now. They both left the tent at the same time, somewhat frustrated with each other but nothing above ordinary.

Right outside the tent, they were both accosted by their lieutenants and other followers who wanted something from them. Apparently, when army is on the move, only the urgent matters got resolved, when army rests, everybody jumps at the opportunity to solve old problems or clear some mundane tasks from their to-do lists. So, when Hephaistion and Krateros were spotted exiting the tents, everybody clamored for their attention. Somehow it got out of hand, and the idling soldiers, both from infantry and cavalry joined the circus. As new people joined, they had no idea what was going on. Ptolemy was passing by or at least he later said so to Alexander. Krateros suspects that he somehow or maybe some of his henchmen stirred the melee. At that point Hephaistion and Krateros didn't even talk to each other, they just tried to calm down the crowd that became agitated without any particular reason. Ptolemy got inside the circle and started to accuse both Krateros and Hephaistion for creating a disagreement between the troops. Both generals told him to fuck off. Ptolemy left, pretending to be offended and made a bee line towards Alexander's tent; the king was already made aware about some disturbances in the camp. Ptolemy provided his own version of events – Krateros and Hephaistion were at each others throats, almost ready to battle each other with weapons and his, Alexander's army, took sides. Alexander was furious and decided to take matters in his own hands. He had no reason to doubt Ptolemy's story.

Enraged, Alexander arrived at the scene. From behind the solders' ranks he couldn't see or hear what was going on in the middle - Krateros and Hephaistion, realizing that their lieutenants' petition for attention suddenly turned into brawl between their troops, did their best to pacify the most vocal ones. And then, like the Red Sea before Moses, the crowd splits in two letting in Alexander, Ptolemy and Perdiccas with Seleucus who joined the king on the way. And then Alexander uttered his infamous phrase…"

"_You are nothing without me, _to Hephaistion," Damian dully finished the sentence.

"Wrong!"

"What do you mean "wrong"?" Damian stared at Jared.

"Because, according to Krateros, Alexander said "You are both nothing without me!"

"Both? Are you serious?"

"I am dead serious! I wonder who was the person that decided to drop "both" from this phrase. Besides, Alexander didn't stop there. He reprimanded both generals in very harsh terms for quarreling in a public place and forcing the army to take sides. Krateros said that nobody said anything because they couldn't understand what Alexander was talking about. And yes, Alexander did say that if he find them quarrel again he would court-martial both, without bothering to find out who started the quarrel. Krateros said he remembered being very angry, he couldn't understand what got into Alexander. But when he found out, he was ready to kill Ptolemy for misinforming Alexander. It was Hephaistion who persuaded him to abandon the idea. Alexander was angry with Ptolemy as well, but the clever fox managed to persuade the king that it was a sincere mistake. Alexander forgave Ptolemy, or pretended to forgive.

It all happened shortly before Alexander reached the river Hyphasis. Then the army refused to go any further. According to Krateros, he didn't instigate the revolt. So much so, when he was retelling me the incident, he still was fuming at Coenus for his speech, though general died shortly after. So, when Alexander decided at last to turn back, the disagreement on the matter between Krateros and Hephaistion disappeared on its own. But they both decided to watch Ptolemy because they firmly believed that he intentionally misinterpreted the situation to Alexander."

"Unbelievable," Damian tried to absorb the situation, "but are you saying that Krateros and Hephaistion are on good terms? They are not rivals for Alexander's attention?"

"Of course they are rivals but I think on completely different level from what everybody used to think. I don't know what Hephaistion's opinion on the matter, but Krateros created in his mind this perfect triumvirate to rule the new empire. He doesn't want to add anybody to their equilibrium of power as defined by Alexander – Krateros as a friend of the king and Hephaistion as a friend of Alexander. There is no space for anybody else, well, maybe myself as a friend of Alexander the god," dryly laughed Jared and then continued, "Krateros sees Ptolemy as the biggest threat. I think Krateros realizes that nobody can oust Hephaistion from his position in Alexander's heart but his own, Krateros, position is not as firm. He wants Hephaistion to acknowledge this triangle, to understand the benefits of such an arrangement, but Hephaistion refuses to see the light, so to speak. I think this is what lies in the heart of Krateros' and Hephaistion's disagreement. But Krateros definitely doesn't want Hephaistion dead, he needs him for many reasons. But Ptolemy, Ptolemy became even more viable suspect that he was before."

"This is so weird," mused Damian. "Are you saying we should drop Krateros from our suspects' list?"

"We shouldn't drop anybody but I'd definitely put him at the very bottom. But Ptolemy… we should consider him very seriously."

"Do you think he might have conspired with Alexander to get rid of Hephaistion?"

"You still entertaining this stupid idea?" asked Jared in disbelieve. "Don't you realize it's a waste of time and it takes us away from the real killer, whoever he or she might be?"

"Not such a stupid idea," insisted Damian, "especially in the light of what you just told me."

"Oh, for the Christ's sake, Damian…" Jared cursed and turned away from the doctor trying to show him with this gesture that he wasn't going to discuss the matter.

"Listen to me," Damian didn't have any intention to give up. He went to Jared's side and faced the actor. "I understand you don't want to consider the possibility, but for Hephaistion's sake? Why you just won't listen to me? Hephaistion is a selfless man who loves Alexander with all his faults and does everything to make Alexander's life easier. Instead of being grateful, I think Alexander started to resent the fact."

"Resent the fact? Alexander loves Hephaistion just as much as he is loved by him. I wish you remember the fact while conjuring your baseless accusations."

"My accusations are not baseless!" insisted Damian, "you simply refuse to listen to them. In that case, maybe I should stop talking to you and go to Hephaistion instead."

"You would do no such thing," hissed Jared, "this is ridiculous. We'll get to Opis in a week or so. You do remember what's going to happen there? Can you give the man some piece of mind or you want to poison his days with your stupid suspicions?"

"My suspicions are not stupid," Damian wouldn't let it go. "While you were getting your sexual satisfaction from Thais and fraternizing with Krateros, I spent time with Hephaistion and the troops. Krateros is soldiers' general, my ass," Damian mimicked how he imagined Krateros was saying it. "Hephaistion is a cavalry general; did you wonder why Alexander sent him and not Krateros with most of the infantry to the Persian Sea?"

"I have no idea," admitted Jared, "but according to what you surmised when we just arrived at Susa, it was in order to make Krateros, currently the top infantry general, angry with Hephaistion."

"I still think it was a contributing factor but mostly because he didn't want anybody to revolt, especially those 10,000 veterans who are to leave shortly with Krateros. He trusted Hephaistion more with the infantry units than he trusted Krateros."

Jared stared at Damian for some moment and then said, "You do realize that you contradict yourself, don't you? Alexander trusts Hephaistion more then Krateros and this is the reason why he wants him dead?"

"Of course," Damian didn't see anything wrong with his logic, "don't you know one of the first rules of management? As soon as somebody becomes irreplaceable, you have to replace the person right away?"

"Thanks for enlightening me, now I know why our government sucks," smirked Jared, "but I think by now even Arrhidaeus was able to figure out Hephaistion's importance. Are you saying that Alexander didn't realize it before?"

"Don't be a smart ass, of course he did a long time ago," seeing that he managed to recapture Jared's attention, Damian tried to give his idea another attempt. "I think before Alexander knew what Hephaistion was capable of as cavalry commander, as a diplomat, as a top logistics guru. Now he got confirmation that Hephaistion can handle infantry as well. Don't you think that Alexander started to see his lover as a very viable threat to himself? Now even more then before? After he had no choice but to marry him off to Darius daughter? By the way, Cleopatra, his own sister, is a widow; what if he suspects Hephaistion of desire to marry her? I am sure those thoughts already occurred to him, or were conveniently brought to his attention by somebody else? Say, Ptolemy?"

"Alexander loves Hephaistion," said Jared tiredly. "He is grateful to all the gods of Olympus that the man he loves is equally capable in war and peace, in army and in court, and I presume in bed too. He is not plotting to end his life, he would kill on a spot anybody who would suggests such a thing to him. Us including. So, please, can you do me a favor and draw your attention to the more realistic candidates?"

"Fine," snapped Damian. "But I reserve the right to continue this conversation later."

"Oh, fuck off," cursed Jared and stormed from Damian's tent in disgust.

Damian was left alone with his unpleasant thoughts. It wasn't his intention to quarrel with Jared, even after he heard about the whole disaster with Thais, but he believed Jared behaved like a spoilt child who by refusing to discuss unpleasant matters hoped they would miraculously disappear. Did he seriously believe that Alexander was behind Hephaistion's death? Maybe not 100%, maybe not even 50% but it was a possibility. Hephaistion became very powerful and influential; without any significant enemy to crash, was Alexander afraid that his lover became more attractive candidate for a king than he himself? Maybe it sounded like a stupid idea to Jared but to Alexander? If he became as paranoid as most historians assumed, would he consider a possibility of getting rid of Hephaistion? Suspicion in a man like Alexander can be deadly towards anybody, especially if this suspicion was fueled by people like Olympia, Ptolemy and god knows whom else?

The time spent in the close quarters with the Chiliarch during the voyage made Damian to worship Hephaistion even more. He respected many people in his life but never had admired anybody to the point of adulation. He was not that type of a person before. And now… he couldn't really explain what bought him in Hephaistion so much. There was no sexual attraction but Damian, though a surgeon and not a psychiatrist, could recognize the signs of obsession. It didn't bother him much, on the contrary, he suddenly felt blessed to find a hero he could follow and worship. Only the life of that hero was threatened by myriads of enemies and he couldn't figure out who would the one who will strike the final blow. It drove him crazy.

"Master Gavalos," Damian unhappy musings were interrupted by his page, "Eumenus wants to see you immediately. Should I ask the messenger to wait or you will come right away?"

"I can come now," Damian informed the boy. As it became his habit recently, he sent a short prayer to the Olympians; this time asking them to grant him patience to deal with the secretary without breaking his neck.

o o o o o

Hephaistion was more amused than angry when he heard the story at last from Jared himself. The actor was ill at ease while retelling the details but Hephaistion struggled to keep a serious face. He already knew what happened. First from Alexander of course, and then all the witnesses of the awkward scene, except from Ptolemy and Eumenus, hurried to share with Hephaistion the piquant situation, each garnishing it with their own juicy details and interpretation.

When Jared finished his narration, Hephaistion did his best to look angry and hold a long pause, letting the actor sweet. Then, unable to continue with his rouse, he started to laugh. Jared looked puzzled. He didn't realize that Hephaistion was playing him and couldn't fathom the reason for his sudden merriness.

"What's so funny?" asked Jared in frustration.

"You are funny," cheekily answered Hephaistion. "You tried so hard not to make me angry. Did somebody tell you stories about my bad temper? Eumenus perhaps?"

"Screw Eumenus. He is a troublesome son of a bitch. Why did he have to spy on me?"

"Relax, Jared. Everybody spies on everybody. It means nothing. I think Eumenus simply got lucky. As did Bagoas, as I heard."

"Your spies are lying to you. Bagoas didn't get lucky."

"Oh, well, so it was just a wishful thinking on the part of Alexander. Did Krateros try to recruit you?"

"You know too much," growled out Jared. "But at least he told me the real version of the Alexander's outburst in India. I was much relieved."

"What do you mean by outburst?" asked Hephaistion with interest.

"When Alexander told that you were nothing without him."

"Ptolemy simply misinterpreted to Alexander what happened. Why it's of any special interest to you?" asked Hephaistion. Despite the notoriousness of the phrase, Hephaistion didn't come across it when he read about Alexander.

"Krateros told me that Alexander's exact words were "You are both nothing without me!" Is it correct?"

"Something of the kind."

"Can't you remember exactly?" insisted Jared.

"Yes, I think it was what Alexander said. What's wrong?"

"It's not how the phrase got known to the future generations."

"I don't see how the exact wording can be of any importance."

"I will tell you how. But please leave it between us. I know how naïve it's of me to ask you not to tell anything to Alexander but still…." Jared looked at Hephaistion and saw how the twinkles of laughs in his eyes turned into the cold flickers of steel.

"Tell me," ordered Hephaistion, "and I will decide."

Jared already regretted that he started this conversation. Why did he need to upset Hephaistion with what the history made to him? He knew, however, that there was no turning back now. He had to tell the Chiliarch the truth.

"You see," Jared decided to start from afar, "there are a number of famous deeds and phrases of Alexander that everybody knows and likes to quote though it's not known for sure if those deeds happened and those phrases told. For example, is it true that when you visited Troy Alexander and you ran naked around Achilles and Patroclus tombs to honor the heroes and then offered the libations to both?"

"Yes, you know how Alexander is obsessed with Achilles," confirmed Hephaistion.

"All right," said Jared; he decided not to emphasize the whole "naked" part presuming that was not such a big deal at the time. "Then another one. Before the battle of Issus you entered Alexander's tent where the king and most of his senior officers gathered for the last discussion about the battle. You greeted them with "Good bye" instead of "Hello". Everybody was shocked at the bad omen but Alexander magnificently interpreted it in favor of victory saying that your greeting meant that they would be victorious and would gather later in the evening to celebrate.

Hephaistion knitted his brows, "I don't remember such incident. How do you know about it?"

"Eh," Jared dug in his memory, "Eumenus wrote about the incident to Antipater and…"

"Eumenus wrote to Antipater? Are you kidding me?" Hephaistion was genially surprised. "The old fox can't stand the secretary, he despises him for being Greek, for getting where he did through Philip's bed, for being of low origin. Alexander took him under his wing because the guy is good with his writings and because he is Greek so that no city state can accuse him of being prejudiced against them. Alexander likes to show off himself as…what do you call it… an equal opportunity employer. Did I use the phrase correctly?"

"Oh yes, you did," laughed Jared. "It sounds so funny coming from you. I mean… you know what I mean, right?"

"Yes, yes," Hephaistion also laughed, "In any case, Eumenus wouldn't write to Antipater anything."

"But he is royal secretary, isn't he supposed to take care of all Alexander's correspondence?"

"Yes and no. Alexander corresponds with Antipater himself. He would either write a letter in his own hand or dictate but not to Eumenus, to somebody of the lower status. And Eumenus would never write to Antipater on his own. He knows how regent feels about him and that feeling is quite mutual. Eumenus thinks that Antipater conspires against Alexander or at least don't have king's best interests in his heart."

"All right," said Jared deciding to leave this new piece of information for the future consideration. "Another famous phrase of Alexander belongs to the evening or the next days after the battle of Issus. He went in your company to Sisigambis' tent to assure her of his good intentions. The Queen Mother mistook you for Alexander and kneeled before you. Appraised of her mistake, she was horrified but Alexander gracefully saved her the embarrassment saying "Don't worry, mother, he is Alexander too." Did it happen?"

"Yes," confirmed Hephaistion without going into any details.

Jared noticed how Hephaistion involuntary furred his brows and became upset again. "What's wrong?" asked the actor.

"Nothing. Let's move on. I don't have a lot of time to spend with you. What is this phrase that Alexander supposedly said to me and Krateros that got you upset?"

"Well," it was obvious to Jared that Hephaistion had some bad memories about the whole Sisigambis incident but he couldn't figure out why. He knew that Hephaistion would be even more upset with what he was going to tell him but there was no backing out. So he started, "you see, it is said that you and Krateros quarreled somewhere in India. We don't know where exactly or what was the reason. Your altercation went out of hand and Alexander was summoned to intervene. There is no mention of Ptolemy, by the way. So, Alexander comes and without inquiring what exactly happened, reprimands you in front of the whole army, saying to you, and you alone "You are nothing without me!"

"Really?" Hephaistion raised his right brow and curved his lips in a very disdainful manner. "What a shocker."

Jared felt uncomfortable. "It is also said," he continued trying to smooth the unpleasant impression, "that he later reprimanded Krateros in private and that from that moment he did his best to put the two of you as far apart as possible. You see, in his public anger he threatened both of you this time, that if such a quarrel happens again, he'd execute you both without even finding out who started first. For the sake of the Army unity, of course," added Jared hurriedly trying to explain Alexander's behavior.

Hephaistion remained expressionless for some moments. Then he said, "Well, since it's not what happened in reality, I don't see the point of discussing the matter further. I can also keep it between you and me. I presume you didn't enlighten Krateros about this version of events?"

"Of course not!" Jared said with vehemence. "How can you think this of me? So, about Alexander, can you not tell him about this? Unless you need it to use as a weapon against Ptolemy?" as an afterthought added Jared.

"I won't tell about it to Alexander for now," said Hephaistion. "And I don't need a weapon against Ptolemy, it's just… doesn't matter. I have to go, Jared. We are leaving for Opis tomorrow, lots of things to take care of."

"Opis," Jared repeated without realizing that he drew Hephaistion's attention to the name. 

"What about it?" quickly responded Hephaistion. "Is something bad going to happen?"

"Oh, no, no," Jared was horrified about yet another slip of tongue. "Nothing is going to happen. I just got distracted."

"Liar," wanted to say Hephaistion, but he managed to restrain himself. Unlike the incidence with "you are nothing without me' phrase, Hephaistion read about the mutiny at Opis. Though he knew that Alexander would emerge victorious he dreaded the ordeal that Alexander had to go through.


	18. Book of Tripolis, Ch11 Ecbatana

Title: Alexander Revisited

Disclaimer # 1: I am fully aware that the movie with the same title exists (on DVD); this story was born out of that movie but took a turn to AU where it would reside with no intention of coming into a conflict with the original creation.

Disclaimer # 2: This story is a pure fiction. I don't know the real people involved; anything they do and say in my story has nothing to do with the actual lives of those people.

A/N - Thank you, my wonderful friends, who read and commented on the chapters that I already posted. My special regards to those who commented for the first time and who added this story to their favorites and story alert. It would be also wonderful to hear the thoughts of those who read the story but didn't voice their opinion yet. Thank you all.

_Ecbatana, fall of 324 BC_

Ptolemy smiled contently. He never forgot to thank the gods when they rewarded him for his efforts. However this unexpected benevolence of Tyche, the goddess of luck, called for special sacrifices. That is, of course, if he was correct but even the most suspicious of men would find it hard to interpret the sudden appearance of Euius in Ecbatana as anything else.

Now the young man of sixteen years, he was the only child of Calliphoebe, Thais' best friend and mentor. Once the most renowned and sought after hetaira in Athens, she retired at the peak of her career, to give birth to a son and never came back. Thais, then her young apprentice of some fifteen years old, went with Calliphoebe to help her out and came back a year later, a beautiful young woman, skilled in love and entertaining conversations, an almost official successor of everything that Calliphoebe once represented.

It all happened before Thais and Ptolemy met but the general knew how close his mistress and her friend remained to each other. Letters flew back and forth between them constantly until one day in Maracanda when Ptolemy, coming late in the evening to his quarters, found Thais sobbing on the floor, her clothes torn, hair dishevelled, the makeup carefully put in the morning smeared by tears all over her face. Thais' dear friend Calliphoebe unexpectedly died, no one knew for sure from what. Ptolemy was rather surprised to discover that the news came in the form of a letter from the famous Athenian statesman Phocion. He consoled Thais the best he could but the news couldn't have come at the worse time, just a few days after Alexander killed Cleitos. Ptolemy's presence was required at the king's side and Thais had to deal with her loss alone.

Later Ptolemy learned from Thais that Calliphoebe's young son was taken into Phocion's household and brought up together with the children of the statesman. Ptolemy found this arrangement intriguing but Thais was reluctant to provide any details. Eager to make his mistress happy and not avert to the idea of getting inside information from one of the most influential Athenian politicians, Ptolemy suggested sending funds to Phocion to help him raise the young man. Thais strangely refused. She reminded Ptolemy that Phocion was frugal and honest to the extreme and once refused to accept money from Alexander himself. Besides, Calliphoebe left quite a fortune for her son and Phocion would see such a gift as a bribe.

Ptolemy said nothing. He wasn't going to humiliate himself before his mistress by explaining to her that Phocion's pro-Macedonian policy was handled at Alexander's court by Hephaistion and he wanted his own source of information. Since then Ptolemy inquired about Euius from time to time but the only response from Thais was that the young man was doing fine, surrounded by the love of his adoptive family and enjoying the close friendship of Phocion's youngest son Phocus.

Earlier this morning Ptolemy received a word from Mentor, his constant supplier of musical instruments from whom he bought on regular occasions for Thais. It was a good timing. Ptolemy was quite upset about his quarrel with Thais caused by meddling Eumenus. The hetaira was his companion of many years and bore him two children. He used to have her around and despite the occasional flirts with other women the idea of substituting her with somebody else had never occurred to the general. Formally, he and Thais had open relationship; after all she was his companion on her own free will and not his wife. Just as Ptolemy strayed from their almost marital bed from time to time, so did Thais. But their affairs were always discreet, momentous and rare, and never caused any rift between the pair before.

Not that Ptolemy suspected that one night stand between Thais and Laertes was anything else but Eumenus managed to air their dirty laundry for everybody to smirk and discuss. Ptolemy was a patient man, one day Eumenus will pay for his dumb move but for now presenting Thais with a new musical instrument sounded to Ptolemy as a wonderful excuse for reconciliation.

Mentor, as any self respecting merchant, traded not only in his wares but in information and gossips as well. Sometimes it paid even better than the instruments and he thought it wise and necessary to diversify. However, Ptolemy, though being one of his most constant and affluent buyers, never expressed any interest in gossips. Mentor suspected that it was due to the fact that the high ranking general considered such behaviour below his elevated status or maybe he has his own sources of information and wasn't interested in what Mentor might knew.

Mentor arrived in Ecbatana with the latest caravan of actors and musicians that were invited to the city to participate in the festivities. He has an exceptionally beautiful varvitos that he wanted to sell to Ptolemy. Actually, the asking price was so high that few could afford it. The instrument was made from a huge tortoise shell and highest quality chestnut wood. It produced beautiful deep sound, sweeter and more melodious than any lyre. He bought it from the man in Ionia who tried to convince him that the instrument once belonged to Anacreon, the famous lyrical poet whose verses were full of love and desire. Though it was rumoured that the first varvitos was actually invented by Anacreon himself, the poet was dead for more than two hundred years and it was very doubtful that this particular instrument was once played by the man. Still, it was a very beautiful instrument.

Ptolemy didn't even flinch when he heard the outrageous sum that Mentor was asking for the varvitos. He was just pensively gliding his fingers along the smooth arms of the instrument. Mentor, anxious keep general's attention on the instrument itself and not on its price, tried to entertain Ptolemy with the juiciest story of their journey, that of incredibly beautiful, incredibly arrogant, incredibly pretentious Euius, a flute player from Athens who quarrelled with his lover and joined their caravan sure that he'd find very rich and compliant benefactor in Ecbatana.

Euius wasn't a very popular name, could it be that this Euius and the son of Thais' friend was one and the same, mused Ptolemy. Upon hearing that Euius was like a son to Phocion and once lived under his roof, the general had no doubt. Ptolemy did his best to remain calm and seemingly uninterested in the story. No wonder that Thais didn't want to tell him much about this young man, she was probably embarrassed about what she learned from Phocion, with whom she now regularly corresponded.

From the time Euius came to live with Phocion's family, he became a constant fixture at all the parties and escapades organized by Phocus, the statesman's youngest son. Phocus was some five years older than Euius but the difference didn't seem to be a problem. Phocion's son was a famous athlete in Athens and winner of numerous competitions. Euius was also physically fit, strong for his years and lithe as a snake. He always wore a mischievous scowl on his face, had a contagious and melodious laugh and could not only beautifully sing but also to mimic other people voices with uncanny resemblance. He played many musical instruments but had a weakness for a flute. He was so good with it that it was said that he could make Ares cry.

But the god of war didn't appeal to Euius, it was Aphrodite, his wife or lover (depending whether one prefers Iliad's or Odyssey's version of their relationship) who fascinated the young flute player. He served the goddess devotedly and skilfully. It was almost four years as Euius lived at Phocion's house when strategos got sick and tired of the dissolute and profligate way of life his youngest son and his accomplice led. He shipped Phocus to Sparta to teach him some austerity and was about to send Euius to Macedon to Antipater when his ward declared that he was leaving Phocion's house to live on his own in the house bought for him by his erastes that he had chosen himself, none the other than Hypereides, the famous Athenian orator, war hawk and staunch enemy of Macedon.

Phocion, belonging to the peace party and being pro-Macedonian himself was visibly upset but could do nothing. Euius, with his pearly laughs, mischievous pranks and silver tongue wound Hypereides around his little finger in no time. The orator was so infatuated with the youngster that he remained deaf to the reproaches of his long time friend Demosthenes and ridicules of his fellow orators in Assembly. Euius milked his erastes without any scruple. When he thought that the presents he was receiving almost daily were not enough, he threatened to abandon him in favour of a new erastes, Demades, Hypereides arch enemy known for his lavish lifestyle and extravagant spending. The older orator, horrified, tried to mollify his eromenos with yet another extravagant gift and promises of eternal love and money supply.

Euius, after a lot of pouting and denying Hypereides flesh favours, graciously agreed to forgive his benefactor. The peace lasted for a few months when Hypereides did a grave mistake of presenting his former lover, the famous Athenian hetaira Phryna, with expensive ring during some public occasion. Euius flew into a rage and accused Hypereides of breaking the bond of their relationship. Orator tried to pacify him again but to no avail. Wanting to prove to his erastes and the whole world that he can do quite well on his own, Euius, on a spur of a moment left Athens in the group of actors and musicians who set out for Ecbatana to participate in the celebrations that were to be hold in the former capital of the Median kingdom.

"He's quite a fascinating youth," concluded his narrative Mentor, "beautiful, strong willed and yet charming, very rich already in his young age. He wouldn't be able to afford this varvitos though," innocently added the merchant, "only somebody of your status can have it in his distinguished collection. You will be buying this instrument for Thais, wouldn't you?"

"Yes," affirmed Ptolemy, "I will send my page with money to your house. I am sure the amount will be a significant help in paying for your stay. I've heard that the prices of the accommodation in Ecbatana went through the roof during the festivities. You are lucky to be able to secure these premises."

"Oh, yes, I was lucky to get this place. One of my fellow merchants got his caravan robbed and lost a lot of his merchandize. He couldn't afford the whole house now so he let me rent the half of it. Still very expensive, though," Mentor shook his head. "But our friend Euius seemingly didn't have this problem. He parted ways with the rest of the group the moment we got through the city gates. He declared that he had a benefactor in the city that couldn't refuse him anything. I suspect that his quarrel with Hypereides was not as sudden as he wanted us to believe. I bet he has it all prearranged. Though how he did it, I have no idea."

"I do," thought Ptolemy to himself but he said nothing to Mentor. "Only it's not a benefactor but a benefactress. No doubt Thais convinced him to come. Does she know what she got herself into? This Euius may be the only son of her dear diseased friend, but he sounds like a real piece of work. It doesn't matter though; I will show him the difference between Athenian blowbags and real people who rule the world. I will suck him dry for every scrap of information he can provide about Phocion, Hypereides, Demades and other Athenian demagogues and so called politicians and then send him back to spy for me. I'll give him a choice, either that or I sell him to the harem of some Persian satrap, I am sure there are still plenty around. But first, let Thais come to me and beg me to give a shelter to her protégée. This time, she really will have to beg. I won't give in easily," Ptolemy smiled contently again, "I will first humiliate her and show her proper place, I make her swear that she'll never sleep with another man in her life or she'll never see her children again. Then I graciously forgive her and agree to take care of her Euius. And as a crowning jewel of my generosity, I will give her that varvitos."

x x x x x x

Thais watched Euius in disbelieve. She never felt a lack of confidence in her life but the young man struck her by his over inflated sense of self importance and entitlement. True, he was very beautiful, gracious and talented but from where so much arrogance and disdain? He called her "my precious old auntie" and smiled condescendingly.

"I am not your auntie," reprimanded him Thais trying to be stern.

"But you old enough to be my mother," smirked Euius appraising her in openly lecherous way, "you look good though for your years. No doubt Ptolemy still visits your bed from time to time. Maybe we can get together one day, you and I. What would you say to such a proposition?"

"Watch your tongue, young man. Ptolemy will break your neck if he hears such things!" Exclaimed Thais indignantly, appalled by the lack of any respect or decorum.

"Well, we won't tell him, would we now?" Euius pleasantly smiled and taking a few steps in Thais direction, tried to cup her breast.

"You are out of your mind, Euius!" Thais took a step back and fixed on the young man a very cold glance. "If you came here to insult me, get out before I call the guards."

"I wasn't insulting you at all," continued Euius as if nothing happened, "I was actually paying you a compliment. You are twice my age and yet I found you still fresh and attractive enough to stir my desires. You should be flattered!"

Thais scoffed contemptuously, "Idiot. If you think your impetuousness will do you any good, then think again. I can forgive your offensive words for the sake of your mother's memory, but if you won't heed my advice and continue in this manner, you won't last long at Alexander's court. Our king doesn't tolerate stupidity. In your age he commanded army yet you not seem to be able to command your tongue!"

But Euius wasn't at all impressed by her speech. He smiled again and slowly clapped his hands as if for an actor. "Bravo! What a speech! You should try to compete with Demosthenes. In the meantime, why wouldn't you start with finding a proper accommodation for me? I am sick and tired of sleeping in flee infested hovels that my fellow musicians favoured on the road."

"Stay here," Thais said in as much commanding voice as she could master in the moment, "I will arrange for your accommodation and then sent for you. Try not to offend everybody in your vicinity."

"I am your obedient servant, lady," cheerfully declared Euius and blew her a kiss. Then he smiled at her so enchantingly and adoringly that Thais couldn't believe it was done by the same man who insulted her just moments ago.

She rushed away, indignant, humiliated and horrified. The young man the meeting with whom she anticipated so eagerly, turned out to be a real monster. She wasn't a weakling or easily impressionable woman, she dealt with men who considered themselves the most important people in the world on daily basis, and they all had huge egos and were arrogant beyond measure. She enjoyed the challenge and was quite a challenge to many of them herself. But this…. this impetuousness, this imprudence, this recalcitrance in a man of mere sixteen years stunned and horrified her. She knew she had no defence against him, he was her own son.

She was young, foolish and impatient. She didn't follow Calliphoebe instructions properly and got pregnant at fourteen. She wanted to get rid of the child but her friend convinced her otherwise. She herself was tired of the life of constant entertainment and wished to retire from the business. She knew that due to the mistakes she did in her own youth she'll never be able to have a child of her own but she desperately wanted one. They struck a deal, the two of them will go away and live in a country side far away from Athens where nobody knows them. There Thais will give birth to a child and leaving it with Calliphoebe, will return to Athens when she regains her strength and form. As the time pass, they will decide whether to reveal to the child who the real mother was.

But life got complicated. Thais met Ptolemy and left with him on Alexander's campaign. Then Calliphoebe died and left her son to Phocion. Thais had no idea how it happened but she didn't question the Moirai. Phocion sent her letters from time to time about Euius well being though he had no idea that Thais was the real mother. Phocion was a good hearted man and though he was hugely upset by Euius' behaviour when the young man flew under Hypereides' wing, he didn't want to upset Thais and only wrote to her that his ward was so popular and attractive young man that the Hypereides himself proposed to be his erastes.

Thais had no idea what to do now. She can't go to Ptolemy and ask him to accept Euius into their household. Ptolemy wouldn't tolerate such impudence and at best throw him away to the streets. Not that she would ever have a courage to admit that Euius was her son but under the different circumstances she would ask Ptolemy to find a separate accommodation for a young man. After all, the general knew about his existence a long time ago. But now their relationship was very strained and hetaira didn't dare to ask for a favour. As much as Thais enjoyed her little adventure with Laertes, she now cursed the bad timing. So many people flew to Ecbatana for the festivities that it was impossible to find a lodging now.

All the arrangements in the city were in the care of Atropates, the satrap of Media whom Thais hardly knew and couldn't go ask for a favour. The accommodations in the palace were assigned by Eumenus. "Of all people!" fumed Thais. Of course, she could go directly to Alexander but she knew that not only the king was very busy, he was also a rather displeased with her because of her recent indiscretion with Laertes. The only other person who could overrule Eumenus was Hephaistion. He already left Susa when the whole disaster with Laertes happened and in any case, he didn't seem to care as much for Laertes as Alexander did. He wouldn't think much about stepping on Eumenus toes, maybe he would even enjoy the snub. Besides, she can try to convince the Chiliarch that he will thus help to bridge the rift between herself and Ptolemy and she hoped Hephaistion would find it useful. Deciding on the course of action, she resolutely turned in the direction of Chiliarch's quarters.

Hephaistion was rather surprised when his page announced that Thais came to see him. He briefly wondered what the occasion might be and whether it was in any way related to Laertes. He had tonnes of work to do but he wasn't in a mood for it and welcomed the distraction despite the fact that Thais wasn't a person whose company he particularly enjoyed. Yet, the curiosity took the upper hand and he ordered his page to bring the hetaira in.

He regretted his decision very quickly. Thais was all charm and friendliness but when he realized that the problem that she brought to his doorstep was going to be the cause of his quarrel with Alexander right before his death, Hephaistion became visibly upset and grim. He had a lot of time to think of all the events he read about during his short sojourn in the future and he came to decision not to try to prevent any of them. Before, he didn't believe much in gods so all the stories about the mythical heroes who by trying to prevent the unfavourable predictions of the oracles only speeded their fulfilment didn't bother him at all. Then, miraculously, he was transported to the future where nobody could explain how it happened. Maybe gods existed after all.

So, he took his part in the torture of Philotas (not that he regretted it much) and watched helplessly how Alexander killed Black Kleitos. He tolerated Bagoas to invade his and Alexander's bed though it would cause him very little effort and even less qualm to get rid of the eunuch. He kept his cool when the troops refused to advance further in India and remained silent when Alexander insisted on crossing Gedrosia. But this? To make favour to Thais and find accommodations to some upstart piper from Athens and cause a quarrel between himself and Alexander probably days before his own death? If the gods wanted their final entertainment, he wasn't going to grant it to them. For the last time in his life, he was going to rebel. They can't punish him with death, Thanatos was around the corner anyway.

"I can't do anything for you, Thais," Hephaistion interrupted the hetaira in the middle of the sentence. "If you want my advice, go and make your peace with Ptolemy, I am sure he can think of some solution." The Chiliarch stood from a chair and clicked his fingers to the page to see Thais out.

x x x x x x

Euius didn't have a patience to wait for Thais a long time. Not caring much how she would be able to find him if he leaves the place where they parted, Euius decided to explore the palace on his own. It was huge and opulently decorated. He never saw such luxury before but he didn't allow it bother him much. Unlike many people who felt dwarfed when they found themselves in such surroundings, Euius' overblown sense of self importance and entitlement would make him feel comfortable even in the halls of Olympus.

He stayed away from the dark and narrow corridors that looked like going into the servants' quarters and chose instead those that were well lit and lavishly adorned. After some time, he got tired and started to look for a place where he could rest. As if the gods themselves were anxious to grant his every wish, Euius' eyes suddenly fell of the curtain that was decorating a piece of wall. He saw several of those curtains in his wandering through the palace and already knew that they either smartly covered some ugly part of the wall, or hid the aperture in the wall or simply served as a decoration for no particular reason.

This curtain, however, was hiding a door. Euius tried to push inside but it was locked. Frustrated by this unexpected set back, he grabbed the curtain and pulled it down trying to snatch it from the upper rings. His attempt failed but he felt that there was something hard inside the curtain. He untangled the folds and realized that a small pocket was sewn into the material and inside that pocket was a key. He smiled to himself and confidently put the key into the keyhole. As he expected, the door opened and he stepped inside. A small lamp in the wall illuminated a tiny chamber with lush carpet on the floor and lonely wooden chair for furniture. Another curtain was hanging between the walls. Euius took it aside and smiled at the view that opened before him.

It was a very spacious room richly adorned with carpets on the floors and walls. Between carpets on the walls lively tiles bursting with colours depicted fantastic plants and animals. The ceiling was an intricate maze of wooden carvings. The heavy bronze candelabras rose from the floor housing light lamps on the top. Here and there tiny bowls on incense emitted intoxicatingly pleasant smells. Several small tables were laid with nuts, honey cakes and dried fruits. On the biggest of the tables there was a metal oenochoe presumably with wine and two small kylixes. In the corner of the room stood a wide bed with the curtains parted aside. It looked very inviting. He helped himself to some food and wine, undressed and slipped into the bed. He closed the curtains not to be disturbed by the light of the lamps and drifted into the sleep, happy with himself and his life.

x x x x x x

Eumenus finished to dictate yet another letter to his secretary and decided to call it a day. Not that his day was going to end any time soon. There was yet another meeting with Alexander and the long feast in the end. Eumenus was fond of the feasts but resented the fact that often he was too tired to enjoy it properly. Besides, today he wasn't that much in a mood for a feast. A couple of days ago he visited Atropates in his palace to discuss some administrative matters. When all the business was done, the satrap invited him to a small private dinner, just the two of them. After the exchanging the opinions about the previous day games, Atropates suddenly expressed his condolences about the recent and untimely demise of his eunuch who died so ignominiously at the hands of Ptolemy. Eumenus first thought Atropates was mocking him. However he soon realized that Median satrap simply wanted to bribe him giving as a present a new slave.

"He is not even a eunuch," conspiratorially whispered Atropates. "I know you Greeks prefer young boys instead."

"I don't like young boys," indignantly said Eumenus.

"He is not that young," assured him Atropates, "he is almost sixteen and he has wonderful blond curls and blue eyes. You would like him. He'll serve you well in any capacity you wish. It is my welcoming gift to you in Ecbatana."

Eumenus was still contemplating whether to accept this gift or not when the young man timidly approached his couch. One glance at the slave was enough for Eumenus to decide in what exactly capacity he was going to employ him. The secretary saw Atropates smile, "I see that you like my gift," the Median satrap said in a melodious voice. "I am glad to be of service."

"And what do you want in return?" inquired Eumenus.

"In return?" Atropates sounded a little offended. "I said it was a gift. From one official to another. My new son-in-law doesn't like boys. I wish he had that much distaste for women."

"Ah, Perdiccas; if anybody should be suspected being an illegitimate son of our late king Philip, it is him. Their lust for women is legendary. They both….," Eumenus stopped realizing that it was a poor choice of topic considering that Perdiccas just married Atropates' daughter. "But enough of that. I like your gift and gladly accept it. I will think of something equally pleasant to give you in return."

"I would be honoured to accept any gift from you," smoothly assured him Atropates wisely deciding not to pay attention of Eumenus slip of tongue. Perdiccas' womanizing was nothing new to him but his position as one of the closest king's friends could bring significant rewards in the future.

Atropates asked for a couple of days to prepare the slave for a proper transition and instruct him about his new duties. Eumenus didn't have to think hard what those instructions would be. On his own part, he decided to splash a little on his new slave and if he was worth it, he would make his life easy with the only task of satisfying his master when he felt like it. For this purpose, he requisitioned one of the spare rooms not far from his own quarters. It would be his self assigned bonus for the headache he had to endure trying to please each of the Macedonian generals while choosing their rooms in the palace.

There was still time before the meeting with Alexander so Eumenus decided to go and check the apartment that he made his servants to prepare for his new slave. When he found that the pocket where the servants were supposed to leave a key for him was empty he got angry but decided to check the door. Realizing that it was opened, he cursed the negligence of his people and quickly came up with appropriate punishment. He hoped that they did a better job of preparing the room according to his instructions than they did in securing the lock.

He stepped into the inner chamber and glanced around with satisfaction. At least here was everything to his taste. Then he noticed a half eaten sweetmeat and a wine on the bottom of the cylix. "I will find out which of the servants was so impetuous and have him flogged to death. How dare those scambags to defy me at every corner!" Then he saw discarded clothes on the floor and felt the blood rushing to his head at dangerous speed. Enraged, he flew the bed curtains aside and for a brief moment was greeted with one of the most delicious sights of his life. A young man, naked, for this coverlet slipped to the floor, was sleeping on the bed with his back turned to Eumenus. He was lying on his right side, right leg bended under the strait left leg, deliciously toned buttocks slightly rising up and down with each slow breath. The head with lovely black curls rested on the elbow of his right head, well defined muscles of his back boasted a smooth and unblemished skin.

Eumenus swallowed hard and, heavily sitting on the bed, froze as if in trance. But he didn't have a chance to enjoy a view for a long. The sleeping beauty, awaken by the sound of the parting curtains, shoot upward and turned around. The front view was even more intoxicating. Eumenus, transfixed, just sat there, saying nothing and gaping at the stranger.

"What are you doing in my bedroom, you old goat?" Euius fixed a disdainful look at the stranger.

"Your bedroom?" It took some moments for Eumenus to respond. The secretary stared at the interloper in disbelieve, "Who are you?"

Euius laughed so merrily and wholeheartedly that Eumenus started to doubt his own legitimacy of being in this room. Was it possible that by mistake he took a wrong turn and ended up in somebody else's apartment?

"You Macedonians always try so hard to imitate a proper Attic language and accent. Give it up, old man, you'll never be able to pass for a decent Hellene."

This was completely outrageous. For years Eumenus was teased by Macedonians for being a Greek from some backwater town in Cardia but now this insolent slave dared to accuse him of being a Macedonian barbarian and not knowing how to properly speak his own mother tongue! Eumenus had to swallow many insults in his life but he never had to endure anything like that from some young insolent fool whose impudent behaviour completely unsettled the secretary.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Euius continued in the same peremptory tone. "Get out before I call the guards."

"Do you even know who I am?" at last managed Eumenus.

"I don't give a fuck, get out!" The flutist commanded in angry tone.

"You are in no position to order me around!" Eumenus at last was able to come to his senses. "This is my room and I am in charge of accommodations for the whole palace."

"So you are a filthy eunuch!" snorted Euius, "For a low Persian your Greek is actually passably good. But since you are in charge here, go and make arrangements for my bath and I need new clothes. If you do it to my liking, I may consider not complaining about your transgression to my benefactor."

"Your benefactor?" Eumenus asked incredulously. The young man showered him with so many insults that the secretary stopped processing the meaning of his outrageous words.

"Yes," curtly confirmed Euius. "You'd better not mess with him."

Eumenus realized that if he asked directly for the name, this insolent fellow will continue with his deranged insults. If he couldn't outsmart the overbearing brat than maybe he indeed didn't deserve the favour that Alexander was showing him.

"And who will be your benefactor?" in a sweet reconciliatory voice inquired Eumenus. "I want to make sure to arrange everything to his and yours complete satisfaction."

Euius wasn't a fool. He knew that the man was fishing for a name in order to determine how much he was of a thread. Quite possibly his own master was placed high enough to commandeer some sort of authority. The name he was going to give should be famous enough to outrank whoever was this fellow's master. He knew that there was only one name, apart from the king himself, which could fit the bill.

"I am here on a special invitation from the Chiliarch. I am the best flutist in Athens and he personally asked me to come to take part in the celebrations. He won't be pleased to know that you disturbed my sleep."

"Hephaistion installed you here?" roared the Secretary. It wouldn't bother him much if any of the generals took the liberty of requisitioning the empty room for their own needs, he knew how to deal with it. King's second-in-command was completely different matter. According to the latest Alexander's orders Eumenus had actually to report to him. Eumenus resented the fact which he considered a demotion in the courts' hierarchy. But arranging the accommodation in Ecbatana was a direct order from the king, Hephaistion couldn't so blatantly throw the challenge into his face. Even if in the end he had to submit to Chiliarch's will, he wasn't ready to accept his defeat without a fight.

Euius, making a mistake of not listening who the man really was, took the red colour of the wrath that swept over Eumenus' face for the fear. He leaned closer to Eumenus and benevolently patted him on the shoulder, "Don't be afraid, old man. I am in a good mood today and won't complain about you. But you have to understand that I won't brook such behaviour next time. Go now and order the slaves to prepare a bath for me. If you serve me well in future, I may even consider putting a good word for you to the Chiliarch."

Eumenus recoiled from the young man's touch and quickly stood up from the bed. He fixed a murderous glance on the flutist and ran from the room. The Secretary was boiling with rage. How dared Hephaistion to humiliate him in this manner? Did the young man acted on Chiliarch's instructions by verbally abusing him or it was just a plain bad luck the Hephaistion's protégé was an insolent colt? Whatever was the case, enraged Eumenus rushed to the meeting with the king and some of the generals. He knew Hephaistion would be there and he had the full intention of accusing the Chiliarch in challenging and undermining his authority in such atrocious manner.

As it often happens when a person is obsessed with something, Eumenus didn't pay enough attention of where he was going. He took a couple of wrong turns and cursed even harder for loosing precious time. When he arrived, heavily breathing with a mad look on his face, all the other invitees to this meeting were already in the room. The door to the room, roughly swung open by Eumenus just a moment ago, smacked the wall with a low vibrating sound and slowly came back hitting Eumenus hard on the shoulder. The secretary didn't even notice. He ogled the audience with a hateful look becoming even more enraged at the scornful glances that he was given.

"You are late for the meeting, Eumenus," heard the secretary the cold voice of the king who was entering the room right behind him.

Eumenus fought really hard to suppress the urge to remind Alexander that he came first, but he was able to contain himself.

"I beg your pardon, my king," Eumenus bowed lower that he usually did. "I always take every precaution to arrive at the meetings well prepared and on time. Unfortunately today I had to deal with unexpected disturbance at the palace. If not for Chiliarch's thoughtless meddling, I would be here long time ago."

"Thoughtless meddling?" repeated the king menacingly. Alexander was in a bad mood and the cause of it was the reason why he was late himself. Alexander had a very pleasant stroll in the inner gardens of the palace with Oxyatres. Despite fighting against Alexander at Gaugamela, Darius' younger brother reconciled with the new king a long time ago. He never wanted to rule himself and was happy that nobody suggested this idea after the death of his brother. Oxyatres was interested in arts and all things old. The small charming garden in the heart of Ecbatana's palace boasted interesting pieces of stone work that belonged to the age of Astyages, the last ruler of Median kingdom and Oxyatres was explaining their meaning to Alexander.

Just when Alexander was about to leave for the meeting with his generals, he saw Archidemos, one of his court physicians, pacing nervously back and forth at the garden's entrance. When he saw the king, he stopped fidgeting, and looked sorrowfully at Alexander.

"What is it, Archidemos?" asked the King.

"Policletos," said the physician sadly, "we couldn't help him, he died a few hours ago. We didn't want to unnecessary upset you, but I am afraid… we are afraid, that more of your officers would die. If you only would forbid those stupid competitions, my king…" the physician stared ruefully at Alexander.

Alexander cursed. Policletos was a good officer but as so many other Macedonians he believed himself to be impervious to the gift of Dionysus. Since the days of non-stop celebrations in Carmania, many of the army's officers and solders developed a taste for the wine drinking competitions. The winner has to drink the biggest amount of undiluted wine in the shortest time period. There were several deaths already since Carmania but Policletos was the third person to die in Ecbatana, and they just started the festivities. If the death rate continued to climb at such a rate, by the time they are ready to move against Arab tribes, he'd loose half of this Army to the folly of Dionysus. Besides, Policletos was husband of Alacrinis, daughter of Lanike and Black Kleitos' niece.

Alexander promised Archidemos to forbid drinking competitions from now on despite the resistance he knew he would encounter from his officers. Genially upset by Policletos' death, Alexander arrived at the meeting in no mood to endure Eumenus' lamentations or anybody else's complains for that matter.

"Eumenus, spill it out already!" spat the king when the answer from the Secretary wasn't forthcoming as quick as he wanted.

Eumenus didn't expect Alexander to be in as bad mood as he was himself. He reminded himself to treat carefully.

"I served you father, King Philip, dutifully since the time he singled me out for the position of Secretary," started Eumenus from afar.

"I am not interested in a history lesson, Eumenus," barked Alexander, "remember where it led Kleitos. What is your problem today?"

Eumenus swallowed hard, he didn't like Alexander's reference to the dead general at all but he couldn't stop now. "You put me in charge of the accommodations in this palace," quickly started to explain Eumenus, "you expressed your liking of how I handled this challenging job just a few days ago. Yet Hephaistion decided that he knows better and can overrule my decisions. He gave the rooms that I assigned to one of your officials to some good looking flutist from Athens. If I didn't know better, I would think that the Chiliarch took a fancy for a boy."

The attention of all present was focused on Alexander and Eumenus at the moment, so nobody noticed the shadow that crossed Ptolemy's brow.

"Is it so?" Alexander asked Hephaistion in a cold voice that he rarely used with anybody, let alone with his beloved.

Hephaistion sighed. After all, there was no point in trying to outsmart the Moirai. He refused to help Thais thinking that by doing so he can avert the whole incident with Athenian flutist. But what was preordained by Klotho, the Moira who span man's life, couldn't be changed. Hephaistion didn't care whether Thais decided to act on her own and out of revenge told the piper to use Hephaistion's name as excuse, or it happened any other way. The result was the same. Upset by some yet unknown to Hephaistion event, for Alexander was visibly upset when he entered the council chamber, he was going to listen to Eumenus' accusations and berate his Chiliarch for the action he didn't commit.

"Yes, my king," Hephaistion answered in expressionless tone. "This flutist came highly recommended for his talent and I found him a place to stay."

It didn't matter at the moment how Hephaistion responded to the question, Alexander wouldn't like it anyway.

"I assigned the task of allotting accommodations to Eumenus," Alexander angrily stomped his foot. "Didn't you like the suite that you got yourself?"

"I liked it well," answered Hephaistion quietly.

"They you should have trusted Eumenus' judgement in finding accommodations for this flutist. I am sure if you have come to him with this task, he would be able to find a fine room for this musician. Isn't it so, Eumenus?"

"Of course, my king," the Secretary hurried to reassure the monarch.

"Well, then, Hephaistion, go and tell your flutist to vacate the premises he is currently occupying."

"Very well," conceded Hephaistion, "I will ask one of my pages after this meeting to bring the message to the flutist."

"I want you to go now and settle the misunderstanding," ordered Alexander.

"Now?" Hephaistion didn't bother to hide his surprise and displeasure. "Is it more important than this meeting?"

"If I said 'now' it means 'now'," almost shouted the King. "I am not going to repeat twice."

"Very well," Hephaistion shrugged his shoulders. It was useless to protest. He bowed officially to the King and left the room.

Eumenus was about to scowl when Alexander forestalled his triumph. "I won't allow anybody to bring your individual grievances to our meetings. We are here to discuss important matters not the personal grudges. You are all dismissed for today. Go and think about what I said. I will send my pages tomorrow with the new date and time for this meeting. I expect you all show for today celebrations appropriately dressed, on time and sober. You also should encourage your officers not to drunk themselves mindless every night." With those words the king, not tarrying in the room any moment longer, left the meeting highly displeased and in the worse mood than when he came in.

There was a momentous silence when Alexander left. They had no idea why Alexander was in the bad mood and why he decided to take it out on Hephaistion. Nor they understood why Eumenus was so outraged over the lodging of some flutist from Athens. Only Ptolemy could venture the guess but even he was lost as to what exactly transpired between the Secretary and the Athenian. They were all about the leave the room when Damian, who was present in the meeting as a semi official secretary of Eumenus, approached the Cardian.

"Eumenus," the doctor fixed his boss with such a menacing look that the Secretary immediately stopped in his tracks. Sensing that something was afoot, the rest of the generals stayed put.

During the half a year that Jared and Damian stayed with Alexander and his court, the doctor never basked in the same amount of attention as Jared. Damian wasn't as outgoing as his friend and Alexander didn't seem to shower him with as much attention as Jared. Besides, he was forced to spend a lot of time with Eumenus and it didn't make him popular either. Eumenus came to rely on Damian heavily and appreciated his help and ability to listen and agree. He had no idea about Damian's weakness for Hephaistion and completely believed Damian's excuse of spending a lot of time with Frada, Hephaistion's eunuch, to his desire to learn Persian language and customs.

"I think it was a misunderstanding," started Damian in a quiet tone, "Alexander misunderstood what you wanted to tell him about the Athenian flutist and Hephaistion, isn't it so?"

"What do you mean?" asked Eumenus confused and slightly alarmed.

"I mean, somebody must have misinformed you about Hephaistion's involvement in the matter and it is so unfortunate that you misinformed Alexander as well."

Eumenus was about to brash away the accusations but he realized that something was off in the usually so complacent behaviour of the man he considered his confederate and sympathizer. Besides, the watchful eyes of all the other witnesses of this strange conversation gave him uneasy feeling of the caged animal.

"I don't understand what you are saying," admitted Eumenus.

"I am saying that it will be wise to go after Alexander and explain the situation to him more carefully," said Damian in a very measured tone though he was fuming inside. "I loath to think that somebody else will go to the king and explain the whole situation to him in a completely different light. Only imagine, somebody who is Hephaistion's friend and not yours, such a person will be able to swing Alexander's disposition in this matter from your person to that of Hephaistion. Considering how much our King values and appreciates his second-in-command, it wouldn't be such a difficult task, don't you agree? And what if this person knows something about you and about your thoughts that you don't wish the king to know? Can you imagine what such a person could do to your reputation with the king? All because of some flutist from Athens. This is why I said you'd better go and explain to the king that it was all one big misunderstanding. I mean, before that person goes and explains. Do you understand now?"

Eumenus paled. He understood very well. He understood very well that Damian would be such a person. What a fool he had been! All these months trusting in the mild and seemingly harmless historian who suddenly, as a snake awaken from a mid afternoon sleep uncoiled her deadly body and bared poisonous fangs ready to attack. Eumenus rushed out from the room. There was still time to convince Alexander that he didn't mean to accuse Hephaistion in anything.


	19. Book of Tripolis, Ch 12 Ecbatana

Title: Alexander Revisited

Disclaimer # 1: I am fully aware that the movie with the same title exists (on DVD); this story was born out of that movie but took a turn to AU where it would reside with no intention of coming into a conflict with the original creation.

Disclaimer # 2: This story is a pure fiction. I don't know the real people involved; anything they do and say in my story has nothing to do with the actual lives of those people.

A/N - Thank you, my wonderful friends, who read and commented on the chapters that I already posted. My special regards to those who commented for the first time and who added this story to their favorites and story alert. It would be also wonderful to hear the thoughts of those who read the story but didn't voice their opinion yet. Thank you all.

More A/N:

1) Eris – in Greek Mythology she is a goddess of Strife. She is the one who got offended for not being invited to the wedding of Thetis and Peleus (Achilles' parents) and threw a golden apple with the inscription "to the fairest"; Zeus made Paris to decide which of the three goddess (Athena, Hera or Aphrodite) deserved it the most.

2) While doing some research for this chapter, I discovered a new word in English – manchettes. I never realized that there is a special term for every part of the (arm)chair. Manchettes are the parts on which you rest your arms on the chair. If you are a more visual person, just try to Google images for this word.

_Ecbatana, fall of 324 BC_

Under any other circumstances, Perdiccas would be happy the meeting was postponed until further notice. He was really tired, being on his legs from the early hours of the morning without any moment to rest or take time for himself. But instead of going to his own apartments he resolutely took direction to Hephaistion's. He found his friend listening to one of his lieutenants who was going through a very long and detailed list of the next day festivities.

"Do you mind if we talk now?" Perdiccas started without preliminaries.

"What happened to the meeting?" asked Hephaistion without much interest in his voice.

"Alexander dismissed us right away," Perdiccas explained briefly not wanting to go into any details before they were left alone.

"Arribas, leave this list with me, I'll look at it later," said the Chiliarch to his lieutenant after a brief pause. The young man bent his head in respectful gesture and, giving the scroll to his general, left the room.

"Is there a problem?" inquired Hephaistion as if it was any other normal day.

"Did you already deal with your flutist's accommodations?" Perdiccas asked his own question instead.

Hephaistion's face didn't show any emotions, he simply said, "I find it hard to believe that Alexander sent you here to find out the answer."

"No, he didn't," responded Perdiccas, rather angry.

"You are frustrated and irritated, what's wrong?" the Chiliarch sounded surprised. "Did I miss the announcement from Aristander that today was the day dedicated to Eris?"

"Very funny," Perdiccas smiled, somewhat relaxing. "I guess I am frustrated with myself. Instead of taking an opportunity to enjoy my life, I ran here to make sure that you are fine. Alexander was wrong to berate you like that. Sometimes he goes too much into details, you know. He made you a Chiliarch and he made Eumenus to report to you. If you decided that the accommodation of that flutist was more important than of some official, Alexander should have trusted your judgement.

"Thank you, Perdiccas," Hephaistion said sincerely, "I appreciate your concern but since when do you feel that I am going to cry over some harsh words? The difference between Eumenus and me is that he may feel threatened by my superiority but I don't have such sentiments towards him or anybody else for that matter. I never indulge in self doubt; I thought it was pretty obvious."

"So, I wasted my time coming here, ah?" asked Perdiccas and smiled even broader.

"No, you are always a welcomed company. So, what happened in the meeting, why Alexander dismissed everybody?"

"I don't know. He was pretty pissed off when he came, but I am sure you noticed. He just said he won't tolerate his officers bringing their grievances to his doorstep, then he warned against us getting too drunk and said we meet later, not today though. Then he left. Though I am sure he will be here soon."

"Why?" asked Hephaistion with surprise.

"To express his apologies," slyly said Perdiccas.

"Why? What else happened?"

Perdiccas chuckled. "I wish you saw Eumenus' expression of horror," and Perdiccas went on to tell Hephaistion about Damian's threat. "I never thought much of this Gavalos. For Laertes' friend he is rather unimpressive. But I guess I was wrong. He really scared shit out of our dear Greek. I wonder what he has on Eumenus."

"Probably nothing, I am sure Gavalos was just bluffing. Eumenus is sometimes afraid of his own shadow. He really should grow some balls if he wants to be useful to Alexander."

"I would never suspect you willing to encourage boldness in your opponent. Why?"

"He is not my opponent, Perdiccas. How you don't see it? If he is to be useful to Alexander, he has to have the ability to defend what he believes in. He is good at what he does. It benefits Alexander. If Eumenus can't defend his ideas, how he can defend Alexander's? But he has to check his sources. It's not the first time when he got fooled. For the record, I have no idea who that flutist is, I don't even know whose rooms he is in and where those rooms are."

"Really?" Perdiccas asked with surprise, "then why he accused you?"

"I don't have a clue," Hephaistion shrugged his shoulders. He was about to tell Perdiccas about Thais' visit, when Alexander burst into room.

"Give us some privacy, Perdiccas," the king ordered short tempered. The general wisely decided to follow the order and saying hastily, "see you both later," left the room.

Alexander irately watched his somatophylax exit the room but then, instead of addressing Hephaistion in any manner started to pace the room in broody silence.

Hephaistion watched his king's movements for some time but then resolutely approached Alexander and, barring his next step, grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Stop procrastinating and tell me what the matter is?" he ordered.

Alexander halted but didn't make any attempts to shake his lover's hands off. Instead, he turned his head away from Hephaistion and stared somewhere in the distance. The general wasn't easily discouraged. He took his right hand off the king's shoulder and, cupping his chin, made Alexander look him into the eyes. "I am here and not there, talk to me."

"You know, Policletos didn't make it. Such a stupid end, to drink himself to death," Alexander said bitterly, "I was angry."

Hephaistion sighed and, releasing Alexander's chin, affectionately raffled his hair. "Stupid death, I agree. Let's hope it will be the last one because of too much wine. Is there anything else?"

"I am sorry for my outburst. I didn't mean it. I have no idea why it happened. I mean, I was angry, but what made me listen to Eumenus?"

"He has a pleasant voice?"

"What?" Alexander first didn't grasp the meaning of the phrase but then start laughing. "Oh, what I would do without you! I would never be able to repay the gods for their gift."

Now it was Alexander's turn to bring Hephaistion even closer. He raised his hands and buried them in Hephaistion's locks. Then he gave him a slow kiss melting into his lover's embrace.

x x x x x x

Damian didn't indulge in self glorification for handling Eumenus in such an effective manner. The moment the Secretary took off, the doctor gave a short parting nod to the audience and went in search of Jared. As a matter of fact, Eumenus' scared reaction to his threat did little to mollify Damian's anger at Alexander. Back at the camp, he was happy to hear from Jared the original version of "You are nothing without me" phrase and so he hoped that quarrel with Eumenus also was a fake invented by somebody after Alexander's, Hephaistion's and probably Eumenus' death.

He even started to doubt his persistent idea about Alexander being the cause of Hephaistion's demise however he said nothing about it to Jared. Now he was glad that he didn't, though he would be even more glad if Alexander would hold his tongue instead. Both of them arrived at king's court at Susa, so they didn't have a chance to witness Alexander during any battle or even a little skirmish. Alexander's genius as the best general ever was still a matter read in the books but Alexander's temper as a human being unraveled before their own eyes. Damian couldn't appreciate the first and didn't like the second.

Jared wasn't in his chambers, instead the doctor found Bagoas there, redecorating already excessively adorned premises.

"Where is your master?" asked Damian impatiently. Bagoas turned around and Damian stopped in his tracks. The eunuch was dressed in the same fancy outfit that Jaye Davidson was wearing as god Ra in Stargate, his hair was braided in the same manner and the only things missing were his flashing eyes and a red sun disk on the bull horns collar.

"What's that?" asked the doctor in bewilderment.

"My master wanted me to wear this outfit. He designed it specifically for me. He also braided my hair and painted my face."

"He finally found some use for you. I never knew he liked to play with dolls," scoffed Damian. Despite his disdain, the doctor had to admit that Jared did an amazing job, but then again, Bagoas' resemblance to Davidson was uncanny. "So, where is he now?"

"Lord Laertes went to visit Queen Roxana, he said he'd be back in time for this evening festivities."

Damian knitted his brows. "I hope he remembers the difference between Roxana and Thais," anxiously thought Damian. "But why he didn't tell me anything?"

"I can't wait," he said briskly to Bagoas. "It is imperative that I talk to him now. I hope you know how to get to Queen's rooms? Take me there."

"Men are not allowed in women's quarters. My master got a special permission from the king."

"Take me there and I'll wait outside," Damian stomped his feet. "I presume you don't need a special permission?"

"No, I don't, but…"

"No buts, let's go," Damian grabbed the eunuch by the shoulder pulling him towards the exit. "I said it urgent." Bagoas reluctantly complied.

x x x x x

Jared had an idea about meeting with Roxana for some time. Queen already left Susa before they came to the city. Alexander didn't want her present during his wedding to Stateira and Parisatis, so he sent her to Ecbatana to await him there. Jared had no doubt that the king went to visit his first wife upon their arrival to the former Median capital but he didn't realize before how strictly Alexander was following Persian customs, or maybe they were Macedonian as well, Jared wasn't sure. Roxana wasn't present during any of the banquets held in Ecbatana. Only men and hetairas attended, no wives.

Jared remembered how Oliver made Rosario Dawson to walk on him and Colin before her wedding night. There was no way that in real life Roxana would be coming to Alexander's bedroom half naked through the palace, even if it was her father's. But did Roxana hate Hephaistion in real life as it was portrayed in the movie and did she have the ability to poison the Chiliarch? He hoped to learn such things through Phaspalla but the girl was killed back in Susa before even being able to go to her old mistress.

So Jared decided to ask Alexander if he could introduce him to the Queen. Alexander was somewhat surprised by his request but Jared explained that in later times in history many queens played an important role and even sometimes ruled if there weren't any surviving sons. Alexander extolled from Jared a promise to tell him later about most prominent of such queens and told him that he would ask one of the Roxana's eunuchs to bring him to the women's quarters at prearranged time.

Jared followed the eunuch through corridors trying his best not to giggle. The man had a very corpulent body and walked slowly waddling like a duck. He explained to Jared many times how to properly behave towards the queen in a very high pitched and at the same time monotonous voice. Jared, quite an expert himself of how to play with voice, was amazed at this strange ability of the man. The boring lecture was interrupted often by the low bows that the eunuch sent into direction of almost every passer-by after which he needed some moments to regain the balance and continue with his waddling and lecturing. Jared was very tempted to bug him with "Are we there yet?" question but he knew that the eunuch won't understand the humour, so he restrained himself to the "yes, of course" phrase now and then.

At last they arrived at the room where Roxana was to see him. She sat on a high chair somewhat resembling a throne, her hands on the beautifully carved manchettes. Thick woollen shawl of the rich coral colour was thrown over the chair's back and gave a pleasant contrast to the light brown peplos that the queen was wearing. Himation of the darker brown, chocolate hue was skilfully arranged around her left shoulder.

Jared was taken aback and didn't have the wits to hide his surprise. He was sure to find Roxana dressed as other Persian women that he saw, not as a Hellenic wife.

"Though I dress like this to please Alexander, I find it quite comfortable," Roxana smiled at Jared and motioned him to take a sit at nearby empty chair.

The queen's smile gave Jared an immediate answer to the reason why her parents gave her that name. She had black eyes and was dark haired, her skin colour was what in modern days people would described as "well tanned", so the meaning of her name "bright, dawn or magnificent star" had nothing to do with her colour. Nor that she was exceptionally beautiful but pleasant enough. However she had the most incredible dimples on her cheeks when she smiled that gave her face an irresistible charm and for sure made her parents bestow that name on her. Although, as Jared learned from Hephaistion, Roxana's beauty wasn't the reason why Alexander married her, it was just a case of following the prediction.

"You are right, I wasn't ready to see you in these clothes," admitted Jared. "They suit you well, Queen Roxana."

"Oh, it took me quite some time to learn how to wear them properly. It was almost as difficult as to learn Macedonian," admitted Roxana.

With surprise Jared realized that the Queen was actually speaking Macedonian and not Greek. Though he and Damian miraculously mastered both languages, he always assumed that Roxana would be taught Greek, but he stopped counting surprises long time ago.

"You are quite well at both," complimented Jared, "Alexander must be happy that you took lessons seriously."

"I hope so," the Queen demurely lowered her head. "I tried spinning, but my fingers are not adept in this skill yet. Noble Persian women are not taught this from their childhood, it considered far below their status. Sophonisba told me that I would never be able to ward of Alexander's enemies with the trick that Penelope used."

"Who is Sophonisba?"

"She is the woman that Queen Olympia sent to teach me the skills of Macedonian noblewoman. But so far the only talent that earned me Sophonisba's and Olympias' respect is my ability to handle snakes and other poisonous creatures and plants."

"Really?" asked Jared. He wasn't happy with this discovery, however the fact that Roxana mentioned it probably meant that she didn't see the reason to hide it. So, the Bactrian Queen had the knowledge and probably the means, but did she have the reason?

"Yes," simply answered Roxana. "In our country it is customary for a woman of any status to know such things. I wanted to learn more when we moved to India, their plants and animals are so different from those that I am familiar with, but Alexander forbade me, he said it's too dangerous."

"Did you ever try to convince the king otherwise or maybe enlist a help of his advisors?" Jared hoped that his hint at the Chiliarch wasn't too obvious.

"Yes, I tried, but Alexander said he didn't want to discuss the matter any further and I didn't want to contradict my husband. I understand that he has many far more important things on his mind. I would never presume to go to any of his advisers, it's not my place. I once tried to speak with Hephaistion when he was in charge of the army not lead by Alexander and I was his responsibility_,_ but he simply came to see that I was comfortable and well cared for. He knew about Alexander's opinion on the matter and wasn't going to indulge me in my fantasies, as he put it. He wasn't even very happy when I wanted to ride part of the way. But I understand, he didn't want anything to happen to me while I was under his protection."

"Hephaistion is a very difficult man to deal with," Jared started to lay his bait to see where it lead him, "I often find him insensible to other people wishes, save only his and Alexander's. You are his Queen; he should have paid more attention to your requests."

Roxana sighed, "He does what's best for Alexander and he is very powerful. I would never dare to complain to Alexander about him. Besides, there is nothing to complain about. He was respectful and provided me with everything I needed. I prefer to be in his good graces and I never presume him taking my side, especially now."

"What's different now?"

"Now that he is married to Drypetis. If he ever would be inclined to advance any of the king's wives cause, it will be that of Stateira, his own wife's sister, not mine." Roxana smiled apologetically and the cute dimples illuminated her face again. "I love Alexander and don't want to sour his mood when he comes to visit me. He spends as much time with me as he can; he sends me presents and people who would entertain me. He has two more wives now and maybe in future he'd take more but I am more lucky than many other wives of Great Kings. He doesn't take a new concubine to his bed every night."

"What about eunuchs?"

"Eunuchs are… eunuchs, they are for pleasure not for giving an heir to the throne. Can we talk about something else? I don't think it's appropriate for me to discuss such things with another man."

Jared bit his lip. He was about to ask Roxana about her feeling with respect to Hephaistion sharing Alexander's bed but the Bactrian queen either cleverly forestalled his effort or was sincerely uncomfortable discussing such matters with a man who wasn't her husband or relative. Jared was inclined to go with the opinion that Roxana was genially shy and possessed quite a different character and temperament from what she was usually given in the books. But then, it was the same woman who right after Alexander's death conspired with Perdiccas to kill Stateira and Drypetis. Jared had a real difficulty imagining that, however he was willing to admit that at that point at time Roxana was expecting Alexander's child and maternal instincts forced her to do the things she would never thought about before.

Somewhat stomped in his efforts to find out more about Roxana's attitude towards Hephaistion, Jared looked for another topic of conversation. He picked a phrase of Roxana's explanation before and decided to explore where it would lead him.

"I didn't want to embarrass you or anything, Your Majesty. So, what kind of entertainers Alexander sends to amuse you?"

"Oh, I like jugglers and magicians; my maids told me there were a lot of those in India but somehow Alexander didn't trust them. However, the late king Darius had many of those at his court and some followed Alexander with his army. Sometimes they put a small show for me and my women. I also like storytellers. I can listen to the same story many times especially when it's told by different people. I wish to hear something new though, do you know any stories? I've heard you came from a distant land, there must be stories that I never heard before."

"Oh, there are plenty," Jared smiled realizing he had a huge arsenal at his disposal.

"Can you tell me one, please?" asked Roxana.

"But of course, my Queen, let me think which one to choose." Jared felt silent for a moment. Actually, there were too many stories to choose from. He wished he'd foreseen such a request and thought about the story that would help him to make Roxana reveal her true attitude towards Hephaistion. Should it be about Aladdin, princess Jasmine, Harun al-Rashid and evil vizier Ja'far? It would be an appropriate story and it needed to be played carefully to make the situation more appropriate. In the end, realizing that he didn't have a lot of time to ponder about the correct story line, he choose to start with the story about Sleeping Beauty and employ the same trick of cliff-hanger that Scheherazade so masterfully used to her advantage.

As if gods were following his every move, just when the princess discovered the tower and the old woman with a spindle, the magic of the story was interrupted by Bagoas who started profusely to list his apologies to the Queen for the interference. Roxana was seemingly upset that the story had to stop there because Jared needed to leave. However, she didn't get angry, she didn't berate Bagoas and she did just one meek attempt to persuade Jared to stay longer. The actor felt sorry for the Queen despite the fact that he intended to stop his narrative right after the princess pricked her finger and fell asleep. He promised her to come another day, maybe even tomorrow and continue with the story. Roxana happily agreed and promised to send the same eunuch next day to fetch Jared or learn when he would have time for her.

Damian paced impatiently outside women's quarters waiting for Jared. When the actor, accompanied by Bagoas, appeared from the heavy wooden doors, Damian abruptly stopped and eyed him suspiciously paying the special attention to his outfit.

"Is something wrong with my clothes?" asked Jared not sure why he was given such a review.

"I hope not," responded Damian, satisfied. "Were there any other ladies present during your conversation with Roxana?"

"Yes, plenty of those, and servants, and eunuchs; why do you ask?"

"Just wanted to make sure that you didn't entertain any stupid ideas about getting closer to the queen."

"Don't be ridiculous," Jared scoffed. "Is it why you are here?"

"No, this was just an afterthought. We need to talk."

"Did something happen?" asked Jared with apprehension.

"Yes. Remember that famous quarrel between Hephaistion and Eumenus about the lodging of some Athenian flutist?" Damian moved closer to his friend and asked his question almost in whisper. Despite having their conversation in English as usually to avoid anyone's eavesdropping and trailing behind Bagoas at the safe distance, Damian wanted to make sure that the names won't give away the topic of their discussion.

"Yes, what about it?"

"It just happened." Damian retold Jared everything he was witness to, including his own threat to Eumenus, in hushed tones. By the time he was done with the story, they reached Jared's apartments.

"Bagoas, you know how I like when you do things personally for me instead of dispatching others?" inquired Jared in friendly tone when the eunuch froze in a polite pose of expecting orders from his master.

"Yes, Excellency," confirmed Bagoas though both Jared and Damian could discern some notes of displeasure in a smooth voice of the slave.

"Then change into something more suitable and take a stroll in the city. I want you to bring the latest gossips. Take money and the guards."

"Money and the guards?" Bagoas tried to read the hidden meaning behind these short instructions.

"Yes; money, so that you can buy something, either for me or yourself, it doesn't really matter; and guards, because I expect you to return late. Now, get moving."

"You really treat him as a slave," commented Damian somewhat displeased.

"He is a slave. For someone who worships Hephaistion as you do, your pity for Bagoas is surprising."

"It's not a pity for Bagoas," sternly corrected Damian, "it is a surprise that you can treat somebody as a slave. It is as if you always had slaves to serve you."

"Is it what you think of me?"

"I don't know what to think, this is why I asked."

"I can help you with it," said Jared. "I am expected to treat him as a slave and I am a good enough actor to perform my role. I had enough real life examples in the last half a year to know how to behave. It does help, though, that I can't stand him."

"Why then you spent your time designing that ridiculous costume for him and then applying make up and dressing his hair?"

"As you know, I didn't design anything; I reconstructed it all from my memory."

"Fair enough. And the reason is?"

"Tailors, hairdressers and barbers are the best gossipers."

"Ah, now I know why you and Terry Richardson are such buddies," smiled Damian.

"Actually, it's not the reason. Anyway, I told Shiyata I was bored and wanted to design some new clothes, shoes and hair styles."

"Who is this Shiyata again?"

Jared laughed, "He's the guy who helped me with my costumes for the parties in Susa. He knows everybody who has anything to do with luxurious mode of life. He appreciates the flights of my fantasy and constantly brings me small presents as a gratitude for the ideas that I share with him. See, here is his latest present." Jared went to one of his coffers and took out magnificently decorated wooden box of fragrant cedar.

"Open it," Jared gave the closed box to Damian. "If you like the contents, I can ask for another one for you. The quality is superb, believe me."

Damian lifted the lid of the box and looked inside. On the dark blue wool lining heavily embroidered with gold lay a sheathed dagger, the hilt and the scabbard of which were made of beautifully polished ivory encrusted here and there with some precious stones.

"It's a nice piece of art, but I think it's too short even for a stiletto."

"It's not a stiletto. Open it but be careful, it is very sharp."

Damian unsheathed the piece and whistled. The blade was from gold and judging by the shape, it was… "Holy cow, Jared! Are you really going to shave with it?"

"Why not? I already tried it. Feels almost like Gillette, do you want one?"

"I might as well, if you are offering. I wish I was clever enough to look up some recipe for home made shaving cream before we left. Thanks gods my page has a very light hand but still, to shave every morning is a real torture."

"Not a problem, I will ask Shiyata for another one. He was given several as a bribe."

"As a bribe?"

"Yes, as a bribe. By Aristodemos."

"Jared, we have a lot of things to discuss. I can feel there is a story behind all this. So, can you get on with it?"

"Fine. So, this Aristodemos had a rather successful barber shop in Athens but he liked to live better than he could afford and he was almost thrown to prison by his creditors. It was around the time when Alexander came to Babylon and renewed stories about this city riches flooded Athens. Aristodemos decided to try his luck there. Babylon may have its own barbers but those specialized in trimming beards and decorating the hair whereas our barber was also equally adept in shaving. He wasn't mistaken. Almost immediately he found an exclusive circle of clientele among those Macedonians and Greeks who didn't leave with Alexander deeper into the Persia. Chief among his clients were Harpalos, Apollodorus and Pithagoras. Do those names ring a bell?"

"Yes, of course. Harpalos is Alexander's friend who became his treasurer and robbed him blind. I don't know other two."

"Think harder."

"Jared, I don't remember. Who are they?"

"Apollodorus is one of Alexander's cavalry generals who was left in Babylon as a military governors, together with another guy called Menes and also the famous Mazeus, though I think the Persian holds a title of satrap or maybe an administrative governor. Anyway, this Apollodorus has a brother called Pithagoras, who is some sort of seer."

"Wait a second," interrupted Damian, "I know who they are. Apollodorus was for some reason afraid of Hephaistion and Alexander and he asked his brother for advice and his brother told him he has nothing to be afraid of because both would be dead soon. Am I correct?"

"Yes, those are the two. Apollodorus is Harpalos' buddy. Alexander got a wind that his royal treasury in Babylon being used by Harpalos and his friends as a personal purse. As rich as our king is, he doesn't like to be used. He summoned Harpalos and Apollodorus to Ecbatana. The treasurer run to Athens with a small army and as much wealth as he could bring. For whatever reason, he didn't take Apollodorus with him. The general had no choice but appear before Alexander and try to convince him of his innocence. Aristodemos, his barber, came along. I suspect he hoped to find new rich clients here but there is no doubt that he is selling not only his services but information too. He said he came on the advice of Mazeus. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that he supplied Mazeus with information about Apollodorus and probably Harpalos as well."

"And Mazeus sent information to Hephaistion, I presume?"

"No doubt about it. So, this Apollodorus has all the reasons in the world to be afraid of Hephaistion and Alexander. All the reasons to want them both dead though I am sceptical whether he could pull it off himself. He doesn't seem to have the balls. I saw him several times during the late night feasts, he mostly keeps to himself. Apparently, the brothers and Nearchus are from the same city of Amphiopolis and rather close to each other but after Opis the Admiral was sent by Alexander directly to Babylon with the whole fleet. When Apollodorus left, Nearchus didn't arrive yet. Here in Ecbatana, he has no friends. He wasn't with the army since they left Babylon so he's considered somewhat an outsider now."

"Do you think Nearchus may have something against Hephaistion?" asked Damian.

"I don't think so. I don't know. Anybody can have something against Hephaistion."

"Including Alexander."

"Are you trying to push this stupid idea again? I thought we agreed not to discuss it anymore."

"Quite to the contrary. Last time we spoke about it, we simply postponed this conversation. In a light of the recent events, I think we should at last to discuss it very seriously."

"What recent events?" tiredly asked Jared. He didn't have the patience for this topic which he considered the utter stupidity and waste of their precious time.

"You know what events, I just told you," Damian didn't seem to be discouraged by Jared's complete lack of enthusiasm. "Eumenus came up with some stupid accusations against Hephaistion about the flutist, and Alexander immediately took his secretary's side. Why, I ask you?"

"I don't know. Maybe he was tired or angry, or something, who knows? In any case, it seems like you scared the shit out of your boss and he run to Alexander with revised story, so quite possibly Alexander and Hephaistion already made up. I bet we'll see them later today at the feast sharing the coach and happy with each other. You'd better think how you are going to explain to the king that you blew up your cover and can't spy any more on Eumenus. He is never going to trust you again."

"I don't care about Eumenus. The time I spent with him was mostly useless. I learned nothing. He is a pedantic bureaucrat, I was bored out of my mind."

"And yet later he managed to defeat Krateros himself," reminder Jared.

"Whatever. Can we stop talking about him and concentrate on Hephaistion?"

"With pleasure. What's your plan?"

"We have to tell Hephaistion that he is to die in Ecbatana and we are here to prevent it. We have to warn him against Alexander."

"Damian, please!" Jared had no idea how to dissuade his friend. "Besides, do you really think that Hephaistion is going to listen to this wild accusation?"

"May be he suspects as much."

"Oh, for the Christ's sake! Really?"

"I said 'may be'. In any case, it's our responsibility to warn him. We explored all the possibilities. Everybody is a suspect. Besides, it's quite possible, that Hephaistion knows something that we don't. And if it's Alexander indeed, he is the only one capable of stopping him."

"No, no, and again no! This is simply impossible. And if, just if, I can agree on revealing our real intentions for coming here, it will be to Alexander and not to Hephaistion."

"Are you crazy?" screamed Damian. "If I am right and Alexander is behind Hephaistion's demise, what do you think he would do? At best, he would have us killed quickly and quietly and then take care of Hephaistion."

"And if he is not behind Hephaistion's demise?"

"Then he will start killing everybody, because everybody is a suspect, burn Ecbatana to ground and, gods only know what other crazy things he will do. Hephaistion, on the other hand, can manage the whole situation with logical approach and will find the solution."

"Should I remind you that 'the whole situation' is his own death? Besides, he doesn't keep secrets from Alexander. So, if you insist on telling somebody, it should be Alexander alone."

"No."

"Then we won't tell anybody."

"Jared, we have to tell Hephaistion. He is the only one who would know what to do, regardless of whether it's Alexander or anybody else."

"Why he is the only one? Why don't you trust Alexander? Hephaistion certainly does".

They stared at each other with exasperation. They were deadlocked and though both realized that they should work with each other and not against, they refused to meet in the middle.

x x x x x x

Trying to give impression that he was actively participating and enjoying the feast, Jared watched out of the corner of his eye how Alexander and Hephaistion, sharing the same couch, discussed something in perfect harmony. He already knew from Perdiccas how Alexander came to Hephaistion's quarters, most probably in order to offer apology, and, judging by the result, the apology was granted. So, everything was quiet on that front though Jared, despite what Damian might have thought, also was angry with Alexander for taking Eumenus' side without knowing what was going on.

Jared did his best not to look brooding and was hoping that he succeeded far better in this task that Damian and Eumenus, who both looked sour though obviously for different reasons. He would gladly spent time in Perdiccas' or Leonnatos' company because he liked them most but he knew he had to work the crowd and not to enjoy it. This is why he was listening to Medius, one of Alexander's friends, who retold him, not for the first time, of his contribution in the exploration of Indus River some years ago. The fact that Nearchus and Onesicritus were both in Babylon at the time, and that other listeners included Iollas, Antipater's son and rumoured lover of Medius and Phillip, another of Antipater's sons, gave Medius an excuse and stimulus to embellish his story in order to accommodate his overblown ego.

Jared didn't like his company but he knew that according to the sources, Alexander collapsed in Babylon while attending Medius' party and Iollas was rumoured to slip the poison into the king's drink. Who knows, may be they had as much to do with Hephaistion's death as with Alexander's. If one was to believe the rumour that Antipater was behind the assassination plot of Alexander, it was prudent to presume that the regent would like to eliminate the Chiliarch as well and it was to do before Alexander's death that after.

But obviously the trio had no idea of what Jared was thinking about them. He was very high in the king's favour and nobody knew in particular why. His company was sought after by almost everyone and Jared always took advantage of it. He managed to accumulate a lot of facts during the months he spent at Alexander's court but so far nobody stood out in particular though the amount of people who may have wanted Hephaistion dead was staggering.

"Looks like the Chiliarch had to leave the party earlier that he intended," suddenly commented Philip following Hephaistion with his eyes, "I wonder what the reason might be?"

"Well, he has his business to attend and we have ours," cheerfully declared Medius, "let's hope that the king is not going to require the services of his cupbearer tonight because I have my own plans for him," and with those words the older man ogled Antipater's son with unhidden desire. Iollas blushed and modestly lowered his eyes.

Phillip understandingly chuckled and outstretched his hand to correct the hair band on his brother's head that was sliding down. "Oh, looks likes Alexander is not going to interfere with your plans today, my friend," said Iollas' brother. "Laertes, the king beckons you to come to his couch. You're going to miss the end of Medius' story but I am sure you already heard it once or twice."

Jared turned around and saw one of Alexander's pages hurrying in his direction. He stood up and stretching himself a little too theatrically to showcase the presumable perfectness of his body, gifted them with his benevolent and slightly enigmatic smile accompanied by a prudent advice, "behave yourselves in my absence."

His drinking buddies laughed good naturedly and waved him away. Jared went in the direction where the king was sitting, humorously slapping away the grabbing hands of his other friends who wanted him to share their couches. He accepted a wine cup offered to him by one of Alexander's pages and gracefully reclined in the empty space on the couch.

"I hope you are grateful to me for saving you from Medius' clutches. How many times you already heard about his misadventures on Indus?"

"Too many," answered Jared lazily sipping the wine, "why Hephaistion had to leave? Did something happen?"

"Nothing happened, he just has to take care of something. He may rejoin us later."

"Ah," said Jared wishing that the king would reveal more. He was acutely aware of the displeased glances that Damian was throwing in his direction. He just hoped that Hephaistion and Alexander parted amicably and didn't provoke a new bout of suspicions in his friend.

"Looks like our historian doesn't like you being in my company too often," noticed the king, "any reason for that?"

"I am sure you are mistaken," Jared answered as nonchalantly as he could. He saw Alexander's speculative glance on him and it made him uncomfortable. He wished he knew what the king was thinking.

"I am not mistaken, believe me," smiled the king and put the palm of his hand on Jared's shoulder. "You decided to put on proper Macedonian attire for today's feast, "is there anything special on you mind?" Alexander walked his fingers down Jared's arm. "You do have muscles after all," he mused.

"What are you doing?" Jared asked nervously. He didn't like this unexpected development.

"Nothing much," simply answered the king. "Could you please turn around so that I can see your magnificent eyes better?" The king brought his arm back to Jared's shoulder and tried to push him down.

"Alexander, please, it's not appropriate," Jared tried to remain calm.

"What's wrong? I simply want to see your eyes better. Do you not trust your king?"

"Of course I trust you but…"

"Shhh," said Alexander and put the index finger of his right hand across Jared's lips, "you talk too much."

"Take your hands off me and give me some personal space," hissed Jared angrily. He didn't care who else was watching them but he knew that Damian did and he was seething with anger.

"Only Hephaistion can talk to me in such a manner," Alexander's voice was so neutral that Jared had no idea whether the king was angry or amused.

"I am Hephaistion," Jared had nothing to lose. He already knew that the evening was going to be a disaster.

"Then what's the whole fuss is about?" Alexander was definitely enjoying himself judging by teasing notes in his voice.

"I doubt that Hephaistion allows himself to be pawed all over like this in public."

"Hmm, you have a point," Alexander pretended to be considering what he was told, "then how about a reconciliatory kiss?"

"I don't recall we quarrelled," said Jared.

Alexander merrily laughed throwing his head backward. "You are good, my friend," said the king after he calmed, "I was just teasing you, I wanted to see your reaction. Did you enjoy your visit to the Queen today?" Alexander suddenly changed the topic.

"Yes, she was very nice," hurriedly agreed Jared. "We had a very pleasant conversation."

"But it was interrupted by your friend, wasn't it? What was so urgent?"

"Nothing in particular."

"You are lying to me again, Jared. I don't like to be deceived, especially not by one who claims the right to bear the name of Hephaistion."

"I don't claim to have such a right, it just happened. I am not lying to you, I am simply…."

"Not telling the truth?" supplied Alexander.

"Alexander, what's wrong?" now Jared on his own volition turned around to face Alexander. He didn't care what Damian or others might think. Something wasn't right and he intended to find out what.

"Nothing is wrong. You can go now." Jared almost physically felt how the king closed up as a clam.

Seeing hesitance on actor's face, Alexander shook his head and repeated, "You may go now. Please leave me alone, Jared."

"All right, joy to you, my king," Jared stood up and stepped down from the dais on which king's couch was situated. He knew that it didn't matter whom he join now, Damian would be there demanding an explanation of his and Alexander's behaviour. Taking the advantage of Damian being temporally distracted by conversation with Seleucus, Jared slipped out the banquet hall unnoticed.

He wandered through the corridors not having any desire to return to his own rooms. He knew that Damian would find him there and he wasn't ready for the unpleasant conversation that he knew lay in store. Taking several turns at random, he continued without any purpose in mind. He tried to figure why Alexander behaved in such a strange manner but the reason was escaping him. At some point in time he found himself in a nice enclosure of the small garden deserted by everybody except for the fish that swam in the miniature pond. Nearby was a magnificent statue of peacock; its opened tail decorated with lapis lazuli, pearls and a rather wide assortment of different semiprecious stones. There was a very inviting reclining bench near the statue and Jared decided to take advantage of the nice surroundings and sit there for a while.

He almost made it to the bench but when he was passing by the stature his head was smashed against the peacock tail and everything went dark.


	20. Book of Tripolis, Ch 13 Ecbatana

Title: Alexander Revisited

Disclaimer # 1: I am fully aware that the movie with the same title exists (on DVD); this story was born out of that movie but took a turn to AU where it would reside with no intention of coming into a conflict with the original creation.

Disclaimer # 2: This story is a pure fiction. I don't know the real people involved; anything they do and say in my story has nothing to do with the actual lives of those people.

A/N - Thank you, my wonderful friends, who read and commented on the chapters that I already posted. My special regards to those who commented for the first time and who added this story to their favorites and story alert. It would be also wonderful to hear the thoughts of those who read the story but didn't voice their opinion yet. Thank you all.

Jared wasn't sure what made him wake up. One moment there was nothing and another he was watching the curtains of his bed move lazily following the rhythm of some draft. As usual, the heat in the room was too much for him to feel comfortable. Combined with the sweet smell of some incense that Bagoas was constantly burning, it fed the irritation that Jared hold towards the eunuch.

Turning his attention from the curtains, the actor realized that there was a sleeping figure in the chair near his bed. Jared was sure it wasn't Bagoas but his vision was sort of blurry and he rubbed his eyes trying to focus. The movement brought a shockwave of unexpected pain through his head and he moaned involuntarily. The figure first stirred and then, jumping from the chair, came closer and starred at Jared.

"You are awake, praised be Apollo! How are you?"

"I am fine, Leonnatos, just don't shout," Jared said recognizing his visitor at last.

"I won't, I won't," there was too much happy excitement in general's voice that seemed strange. "Theocles, come here," he shouted to the page despite the promise.

"Yes, general," Jared heard the young man's voice but couldn't see him behind the curtains.

"Run quickly and fetch Kritobulos, let him know that Laertes is awake," commanded Leonnatos.

"Why are you asking for the surgeon to come?" asked Jared cringing at the loudness of Leonnatos' voice. The sharp pain he felt moments before gave place to the waves of dull headache that attacked different parts of his head and made him feel nauseous.

"Because you hit your head when you fell," said Leonnatos, this time quietly. "What are you doing? You can't go anywhere."

"I need to take a leak, you are not suggesting I do it in my bed?" Jared sat up but was forced immediately to grab Leonnatos' arm because the room started to gyrate in all directions.

"Easy there," the general said soothingly. "Let me help you."

"Damn it, I need to go but everything is spinning, I am not sure I can make it."

"I will help," Leonnatos leaned closer and, putting his arms around Jared's shoulders, lifted him from the bed. "You are not going to fall, I am holding you. Can you walk?"

"I think so," Jared said uncertainly and took one step. The room swayed before his eyes but he felt a strong grip of his friend and trusted in his strength. Leonnatos stopped asking questions and simply dragged Jared to the small room that served as a bathroom.

"I will hold you still but do you need any further help?" asked Leonnatos.

"No, I think I am good," said Jared trying to steady himself. He felt too befuddled to be embarrassed.

Afterwards, they made in back to the bed and Jared still required Leonnatos' help to sit. When general tried to help him to lie on the bed, the actor resisted. "I prefer to sit for some time, I will feel better. Would you sit with me on the bed?"

"Of course," Leonnatos sat close to Jared, "but maybe you have to sit with the bed board to you back so that you can lean on it? I will put some cushions for you."

"No, I prefer like this," the idea of climbing into the bed didn't appeal to him at the moment. Jared took a closer look at Leonnatos. He realized that the general didn't look well himself. He couldn't quite place it, but Leonnatos was always so impeccably dressed and coiffed, even the perfume that he liked to use somehow always harmoniously matched his outfit. Right now the general's face looked careworn and greyish, he had bags under his eyes and his attire was crumpled and his hair uncombed.

"I see it became a rough party after I left yesterday," said Jared though he noticed with surprise that he couldn't smell any wine in Leonnatos' breath.

"Yeah, sort of," murmured the general staring at the floor.

At that moment the door opened and Kritobulos appeared followed by a couple of his assistants, Jared's page and Bagoas.

"Let me examine the patient," Kritobulos declared business like. He waived the general from the bed but Leonnatos, instead of leaving, came close to the surgeon and started whispering something in his ear.

"As you wish," said the doctor and shrugged his shoulders, "but I don't see the point. If he is awake, he can handle it."

"I can handle what?" asked Jared dully succumbing to the examination that Kritobulos was performing while Leonnatos was telling him that Jared could hardly walk and do things on his own.

"Me checking you. How many fingers do you see?" the surgeon asked spreading the fingers on his right hand.

"Gods, this is so old," mumbled Jared. "What if I can't count?"

Kritobulos didn't realize that Jared was making a weak attempt at humour, "Fine. Do I have the same amount of fingers on my right hand as on my left hand?" asked the surgeon and spread the fingers of his both hands before Jared's eyes.

"Yes, and you have ten on both. How I am doing so far? Oh, and before you ask, my name is Laertes, I am in my bedroom in the palace of Ecbatana. What else you want to know?"

"He sounds fine," Kritobulos said to Leonnatos ignoring Jared's jib. "Just make sure that somebody is always with him. Give him to eat something light and talk to him all the time. If he behaves strange, let me know."

"I don't feel like eating," complained Jared. He was somewhat disappointed that Kritobulos' examination was so short. "Can you please have somebody to find my friend Gavalos and ask him to come here?"

The surgeon didn't respond but stared at Jared for some moments. Then he turned back to Leonnatos, "General, I leave the decision in your hands. I have other patients to attend to."

"Why he behaves like such a prick?" grumbled the actor succumbing to the efforts of Bagoas and his page to help him to the bed in the sitting position. Leonnatos watched silently. In the end, Jared was happy when he found himself sitting with his back to the bed board, the pillows softening the hard wood.

"Bagoas, go fetch Gavalos, I can really use his company now. Leonnatos, go have some rest, you look like shit. Did you have any slip at all this night?"

"I am fine," responded the general, nervously combing his hair with his hand. He looked anything but fine.

"You are an awful actor," Jared's mood somewhat improved because he was feeling physically better. "Bagoas, don't stand in the middle of the room like some useless piece of furniture. I asked you to go and find Gavalos, why are you still here?"

The eunuch looked uncertainly at Leonnatos. "Just go," the general waived his hand. "Theocles, leave us alone."

Both men disappeared from view.

"So, you remember how you fell?" asked Leonnatos, climbing into the bed and sitting opposite Jared.

"No," answered actor trying to remember. "I don't even know why I fell."

"You probably stumbled on something," suggested Leonnatos. "What were you doing in that garden and why did you leave the party?"

"I don't know, it's still a blur. I left the party because I felt too tired to participate," lied Jared not wishing to give the real reason. "Who found me?"

"Ah?" asked Leonnatos absentmindedly; it was obvious for Jared that his friend's mind was somewhere else, "one of the eunuchs, I think."

"One of the eunuchs? Who brought me here then?"

"The guards."

"The guards? Why the guards? Leonnatos, what's wrong?"

"I don't know, I was told it were the guards," said the general hurriedly.

"Why are you here with me then?" asked Jared. "Don't you have more important things to do? Alexander cuts you all too much slack. Bagoas could have stayed with me or Gavalos."

"I am here just because," answered Leonnatos obviously uncomfortable with something. "Can't I simply come and visit a friend?"

"You were asleep in that chair when I woke up. You were trying to watch over me, not simply visit. What are you hiding?"

"I am not hiding anything," Leonnatus' voice, instead of sounding angry, betrayed panic and desperation.

Jared, feeling his usual strength back and not experiencing any dizziness when he shifted his body or turned his head, wasn't going to give up. He prepared to question his friend further, when he heard the door opened and somebody entered the room.

"Ah, Gavalos, at last," said Jared and saw Leonnatos to jerk in this position. But the actor was wrong, it wasn't Damian, but Alcetas, Perdiccas' brother.

"I am so glad you are awake, and my brother sends his regards," started the younger general coming closer to the bed. "He'll be here soon."

"I don't need all this attention, it was just a fall, stop fussing over me; however, if you really want to help, can you please fetch Gavalos here? Bagoas was sent after him, but the darned eunuch is useless."

Alcetas and Leonnatos exchanged the worried looks that didn't escape Jared.

"If you want me to feel better, stop hiding things from me," commanded Jared. "This is frustrating."

"I am sorry," Leonnatos frowned and forcibly exhaled, "I am sorry but your friend is dead." 

"My friend is what?" propelled by sudden emotion, Jared almost jumped from the bed, "how is this possible? What you are talking about?"

"I am sorry,' repeated Leonnatos mindlessly, "I am really sorry." 

"It's not possible. I just saw him at the feast. He was absolutely fine. How, how did it happen?" asked Jared in disbelieve still not capable to process the information fully and realize all the implications of this news.

"He was killed," Alcetas stepped in.

"Killed? By whom? How? No, this is not happening. Tell me it's not for real!"

Jared started to shake uncontrollably. "This is not possible, no, no, no!" he pressed his fists to his temples trying to squish desperate thoughts that were whirling in his mind. He closed his eyes so tightly that the thousand bright sparkles flew before his eyes in wild disoriented motion. Suddenly he felt cold water thrown at his face. He opened his eyes, and stared at Leonnatos and Alcetas with hate.

"You are lying!" he shouted.

"Laertes, please, you can't react like this," Alcetas tried to sound stern in effort to stop the start of another bout of hysterics, "my brother will be here soon."

"Your brother! I don't give a fuck about your brother. Where is His Godliness Alexander and his another Godliness Hephaistion? Are they so busy shagging that they can't control what's going on in this place?"

Jared felt a sharp pain on his right cheek when Leonnatos smacked him across the face cutting the skin with one of his rings.

"Hephaistion is dead too!" shouted Leonnatos loosing any semblance of control. "Don't you dare to speak like that about him!"

"What?" Jared felt the darkness of horror clutching his whole being. "What are you talking about?"

"Hephaistion is dead!" Leonnatos was saying as if from another plane of existence. Jared felt numb and cold. His heart raced quickly and he started hyperventilating. Then the merciful nothingness claimed him.

x x x x x x

Jared felt pleasant tingling at his fingertips. He allowed the delectable feeling to continue for some time without questioning the source. Then he realized that somebody was kissing his fingers, softly and tenderly. He opened his eyes and saw Bagoas' head bend above his hands.

"What are you doing, Bagoas?" Jared asked weakly.

The eunuch lifted his head and looked with watery eyes at his master. "I am trying to bring you back," he said quietly.

"That's enough, Bagoas, you can leave now," the actor heard the sharp voice of Perdiccas. Bagoas sighed and slipped from the bed. The general, looking grim and exhausted, took his sit at the edge of the bed.

"I am glad you are back," Perdiccas said softly. "But I am afraid it's the end of the good news for anybody. Things are not well, Laertes."

"Is Hephaistion really dead?" whispered Jared refusing to believe.

"Yes," the general hanged down his head, "it is a disaster nobody saw coming. I still can comprehend it myself."

"When did it happen?" asked Jared. He didn't want to think about it. He simply couldn't.

"The day before yesterday."

"The day before yesterday ….but how… I don't understand… How long I was unconscious?"

"Some two weeks."

"Some two weeks…. I don't remember anything. I thought I just fell and it was yesterday."

"You didn't fell."

"I didn't? But Leonnatos said…."

"Well, I guess it was all he could think at the moment."

"So, what? Somebody tried to kill me? To kill me and Gavalos at the same time? They succeeded with my friend and left me for dead?"

Jared saw how Perdiccas swallowed hard, "It's not exactly what happened. I am not sure if you can handle it."

"I am sure I can't; but it doesn't change anything. What happened?"

"Your friend was killed by Hephaistion."

Jared stared at Perdiccas in disbelieve. "I don't understand. What are you saying?"

"When you left a banquet hall, Gavalos probably left right after you. Nobody knows for sure. He followed you on the sly. Hephaistion said he saw Gavalos trailing somebody stealthily when he was coming back to rejoin us at the feast. He thought it was strange and followed behind. Two of his pages were with him. Then he realized Gavalos was stalking you and he became even more suspicious. When you came to that garden, Gavalos jumped you and smacked your head against the statue. Hephaistion said he didn't expect such a development, this is why he didn't prevent the first attack. But then Hephaistion saw that Gavalos grabbed some stone from the ground and wanted to finish you. There was no time to loose and he launched at him with his sword. He wanted just to wound him but your friend turned around, he probably heard somebody behind him, and the blade entered his heart. He died at the spot.

Hephaistion brought you back. You were unconscious. Kritobulos, Glaukos and other doctors, they all inspected you, but they say it was a will of the gods whether you survive or not. All we could do was to wait. Alexander and Hephaistion were here all the time. They were very distressed at what happened. We all were. Hephaistion spent a lot of time with you here. We all thought it is a little strange, we didn't know that you were that close but Alexander didn't object. Then Hephaistion collapsed during one of the feasts, but we all thought it was from mere exhaustion. Alexander thought the same. Then his fever started. Alexander was torn between Hephaistion and you. We were afraid that the king would collapse as well, we tried to convince him that having Bagoas and pages on your side was enough, you were unconscious anyway. And Hephaistion, none of us thought there was any danger to his life. It was just a fever, nobody else was sick, so it wasn't contagious or something. Nobody really saw it coming.

That last morning Hephaistion felt better. He even came in Alexander's company for a short visit to your bed. Then he persuaded Alexander to go and join the festivities in the stadium. We all went there. And then Hephaistion's frantic page came running to the stadium summoning the king. We knew right away something bad happened. When Alexander rushed into Chiliarch's chamber, Hephaistion was already dead. It is a nightmare since then. Probably gods took pity on us and brought you back. Alexander… he stays at Hephaistion's bed and we can't drag him away. He doesn't allow anybody in the room. He screams profanities and he kicked one of his pages almost to death. We don't know what to do."

Jared listened to the bleak description of events with sunken heart. So much for coming back and saving Hephaistion's and Alexander's life. Did the gods or people from the future really wanted to save Alexander's life and change the course of history or they simply wanted to have fun at their expense? True, Alexander was still alive but now he knew that his days were counted too, Jared himself told him so back at Siwah.

What if Damian was right in the beginning? What if gods wanted to save Alexander's life but remove Hephaistion's influence from him? When Damian, instead of continuing to be resentful towards the Chiliarch, became obsessed with him, the gods punished the doctor and in a cruel twist of events made him die at the hands of the man he worshiped? They will kill him too if he won't save the king for the future glory. Was he supposed to become a surrogate Hephaistion for Alexander? Without his beloved influence, just a hollow name? Was it the reason why he was forced to come to Alexander's side both times?

"So, whyHephaistion died?" asked Jared not bearing to be left alone with his thoughts anymore. "What Kritobulos and Glaukos say?"

Perdiccas sigh, "Kritobulos is a surgeon, he more understands wounds and how to treat them. Glaukos is the one who treats diseases that weren't caused by weapons. He is in hiding."

"What do you mean 'in hiding'? "Jared asked despite knowing the answer quite well.

"Alexander wants him dead for what happened to Hephaistion. He assured the king that the Chiliarch was convalescing. Alexander was at the games when Hephaistion died, died alone."

"Alone? Where were his pages? What about Frada?"

"Frada left for Babylon the night you were attacked. Some urgent correspondence came from the city. This is why Hephaistion had to leave the party temporarily. He sent Frada to back to take care of some business, I don't know what it was. And Hephaistion's pages were with him, just in another room, they thought he fell asleep; when they came to check upon him, they discovered that he…. that he died."

"Then who brought him that damned chicken and wine?" asked Jared.

"What chicken?" Perdiccas looked at Jared, not understanding.

The actor silently cursed, he wasn't supposed to know anything about the chicken yet.

"I thought he was hungry and somebody brought him the whole chicken and the jug of wine."

"I don't know anything about it," said Perdiccas slowly and Jared could almost see how the seeds of suspicion took roots in general's mind.

"Just great," thought Jared in frustration, "now Perdiccas would suspect that I have something to do with Hephaistion's death, even though I was unconscious at the time."

"I must be mistaken," Jared tried to sound confused, "I thought somebody told me something about the chicken."

"Who?"

"I don't recall. Leonnatos may be, or your brother."

"They said you passed out the moment you've heard about Hephaistion's death."

"May be I dreamt it?" suggested Jared trying to sound baffled.

"You must have," said Perdiccas, frowning, "Hephaistion didn't eat any chicken before he died. He is not an idiot. Glaukos forbade him to eat heavy meals, he said he must have drunk some bad water and disease entered his internal organs. Everybody knows when you have stomach problems you have to eat very sparingly. India taught us well."

"Oh, I didn't know that," said Jared not clarifying what exactly he didn't know. "No chicken?" he thought for himself, "then how come everybody wrote that he ate a whole chicken and died because of it? No, it wasn't everybody. Only Arrian and Plutarch wrote that Hephaistion ate fowl before he died, and they both relied on Ptolemy for their information. I hate the guy! Could it be really him?"

"Do you think Hephaistion may have been poisoned?" asked Jared watching Perdiccas intently.

"The thought have crossed my mind," said Perdiccas lifelessly.

"Do you think this very thought crossed Alexander's mind as well?"

"I don't think there are any thoughts in Alexander's mind right now. I don't think he can absorb the reality as yet but I dread the moment when it happens. I don't know how he would be able to handle it."

"So, do you suspect anybody in particular?"

"I don't know. Nobody stands out but it can be anybody."

"Welcome to my world," thought Jared grimly and then said, "I know that Glaukos' daughter married to somebody who was Philotas' milk brother. Glaukos himself was Parmenion's darling. It's very convenient, don't you think?"

"Yes, but it's also very obvious."

"You said himself that Glaukos was in hiding, so?"

"Yes, but he knows that Alexander would blame him, regardless of the reason, though of course being a poisoner as opposed to being a bad doctor is far worse. When we find him, he will be questioned accordingly."

"Or he'll be dead before you could do so. Remember Pausanias?"

"Good point. I'll give instructions to my people to make sure that he is alive after he's captured. Anyway, Sostratos is heading the search. Rest assured he wants him very much alive for his own satisfaction."

Jared knew that Sostratos was one of Hephaistion's lieutenants who was fiercely dedicated to his superior. The actor shuddered. He knew they were entering the first circle of Hell and from that moment everything would spiral from bad to worse.

"You know," Jared decided to take a risk and see the reaction, "if I would be having this conversation with somebody else, you will be very high on my list of suspects."

"I hope you'll be wise deciding with whom to have this type of conversation," Perdiccas said seemingly not angry, "but why me?"

"With Krateros away, after Hephaistion, you are second in Alexander's favour. Without Hephaistion, you'll be first."

"I don't think so, there are many of us wrestling for that position and I am not an obvious leader. In any case, I'd rather have Hephaistion alive than dead."

"Why?"

"Because I fancy Alexander as my king. I was privy to certain events that I am not going to share with you, or anybody else for that matter. I would want Hephaistion dead only if I wanted to get rid of Alexander. However, I doubt that I am the only one who has this opinion. Now, tell me, why your friend wanted you dead?"

Jared sighed. Unconsciously, he knew the answer. "Damian didn't like how our last conversation ended and he for sure liked even less how Alexander treated me during the feast. He made his own, obviously wrong, conclusions. No doubt, he thought that Alexander tried to seduce me and that I was going to allow that. Did he really think that I would try to substitute Hephaistion with myself in the king's favour or he simply was afraid that I tell Alexander about Hephaistion's death in Ecbatana? Whatever his thoughts were, the only solution he could find for the problem was to incapacitate me to take me temporally out of the equation. He was after all a surgeon, I am sure he didn't mean to kill me," Jared tried to convince himself. "He knew how to hit me to just render unconscious, maybe for a couple of days only, during which he intended to tell Hephaistion everything.

But Hephaistion told Perdiccas that Damian grabbed the stone intending to finish me. No, that's can't be true. Hephaistion didn't know what was going on. Why he simply didn't call him out instead of reaching for the sword? His battle instincts probably overcame his common sense. Besides, he is on look out for Alexander all the time, he would never hesitate to kill first and ask questions later, so to speak. I should have agreed with Damian's plan in the first place, then we still had the chance. I have no one to blame but myself. I screwed things up and there is no way to go back now. I wish I simply died and don't have to face the consequences."

"I don't know and it doesn't matter now," with apathy said Jared when Perdiccas softly touched his hand bringing him back to reality. He didn't even have the will to be angry. He felt empty inside and crying helplessly appealed to him as a good idea. What was there left for him? He failed miserably but was there ever any chance of success? Maybe they were wrong ascribing all the goings back and forth to the will of some superpower beings? Maybe it was fluke of nature? Maybe it was indeed possible to go back and force in future due to some yet unknown laws of physics?

He looked helplessly at Perdiccas. "I can't believe that I never see Hephaistion again. I don't think I can handle it. We were meant…..We have this special connection. Why didn't I wake up earlier? Why, Perdiccas? What I am to do now?" He felt tears invading his eyes and blurring the vision. He heard Perdiccas sigh and moved closer to him. The general hugged Jared and started to pat his hair trying to console his friend.

"I may sound like an egoistical son of a bitch, but can you pull yourself together and go to talk to Alexander?" whispered Perdiccas. "We all tried but the king won't listen. We can of course drag him off by force and then accept the consequences but I think Hephaistion would want us to thread gently."

Jared sniffed and freed himself from Perdiccas' embrace. "You say all the correct words. Your first concern is for the king. Did you even stop for a moment to grieve for Hephaistion?" Jared asked bitterly.

He knew he wasn't fair to Perdiccas. He looked even worse than Leonnatos before and his eyes were red rimmed from the tears he probably shed in private. But the general didn't stoop to apologise or explain, he simply asked, "Can you do it?"

"Yes, I can," Jared slid from the bed, the opposing feelings of anger and desperation fighting inside him for domination. He didn't protest when Perdiccas helped him into the clothes and walked behind him giving directions to Hephaistion's suits though Jared knew the way quite well.

He stepped into the inner premises and saw a throng of people, all whispering in undertones and shaking their heads. Jared headed directly to the doors that he knew led to the Chiliarch's bedroom.

"Do you think it's a good idea?" Ptolemy asked Perdiccas when he saw Jared's intention.

The actor stopped in his tracks. He could hardly control his overwhelming desire to accuse Ptolemy publicly of all the things he thought of him. "Stay away from me," he hissed menacingly in Ptolemy's direction. The future Pharaoh disdainfully curved his lips but said nothing.

Jared quietly opened the door and entered. Alexander was lying unmoving on Hephaistion's body. When Jared came closer he realized that the king was whispering something, either to himself or to Hephaistion. Jared took a few more steps circling Hephaistion's bed from the head, he wanted to delay the scene that he knew would unfold before him as long as possible. The final images from the movie and all the takes of this scene flooded his mind uncontrollably. He could almost hear the music that was playing in his headphones when he lay on the bed waiting for the crew or Colin to get ready, he could hear the Irishman's voice when he spoke near the window about the bright future, he could hear the snippets of the conversations he and Colin had on the huge deathbed while taking the breaks and he remembered the reviews in mass media that the scene was so poorly presented that many people laughed during it.

It was no laughing matter now. He at last found the courage to look at Hephaistion's face. It was haggard and pale. His eyes were already closed, probably by Alexander, because he was unable to look into them. The black curls lifelessly scattered on the pillow and lips, ravaged by unknown decease or poison, were crusted and slightly opened.

Alexander wasn't at all dressed in the fancy Persian robe as in the movie. He didn't change since he came from the games, he wore richly decorated chiton but the cloak lay discarded on the floor.

Jared kneeled at the other side of the bed and put his hand over Alexander's that rested on Hephaistion's heart. Feeling the touch, Alexander raised his head and stared lifelessly at Jared.

"I wish you were dead and Hephaistion's alive," said the king tonelessly.

"I wish the same," admitted Jared quietly. "But the gods have their own wishes and disregard ours."


	21. Book of Tripolis, Ch14Farewell, Ecbatana

Title: Alexander Revisited

Disclaimer # 1: I am fully aware that the movie with the same title exists (on DVD); this story was born out of that movie but took a turn to AU where it would reside with no intention of coming into a conflict with the original creation.

Disclaimer # 2: This story is a pure fiction. I don't know the real people involved; anything they do and say in my story has nothing to do with the actual lives of those people.

A/N # 1 - Thank you, my wonderful friends, who read and commented on the chapters that I already posted. My special regards to those who commented for the first time and who added this story to their favorites and story alert. It would be also wonderful to hear the thoughts of those who read the story but didn't voice their opinion yet. Thank you all.

_A/N # 2 – Apologies for not updating this story for quite some, I had some RL challenges (which I am obviously conquered) but now I hopefully will be able to continue without any significant interruption. I also realized that I missed new great stories in this fandom – I hope to catch up with them really soon._

x x x x x x

Perdiccas fought hard to suppress his desire to pace to and fro in front of the door that led to Hephaistion's bedroom. He knew the movement would help to ease his highly agitated state of mind but it would also betray his nervousness. The antechamber and other rooms of Hephaistion's suite were filled with people who talked in undertones and cast uneasy glances around. Everybody wanted to be there and witness what Alexander would say and do when he at last find it in his guts the leave the dead body of his beloved. And everybody was watching Perdiccas, some of them with hope, others with envy and distrust and most disturbingly those who showed no emotions at all. Chief among the last group was Ptolemy who, Perdiccas knew, resented the fact that his fellow somatophylax took charge of everything as if he was already appointed the new Chiliarch of the empire.

"It is in my nature to act," angrily thought Perdiccas to himself as if arguing with Ptolemy over the situation, "you like to wait and see what's going to happen and then make your decision and take sides based on the most advantageous outcome for yourself. Fine, I don't care just don't accuse me of rashness especially if nobody else has brains or balls to do something about the situation."

When Perdiccas ordered to stop all the festivities in town, Lysimachus, one of Alexander's bodyguards, asked who gave him the authority to disperse orders in King's name.

"Circumstances," barked Perdiccas caring little about rudeness of his tone though he was glad to hear Leonnatus' icy comment, "Lysimachus, if you wish our king to know you wanted the festivities to continue, I will make sure Alexander is made aware of your personal opinion."

Lysimachus' challenge wasn't the last one Perdiccas encountered in the last two days but soon-to-be Chiliarch paid little attention to distractors. His primary concern was Alexander and right now he didn't like the fact that Laertes was with the king for almost an hour and still didn't manage to convince him to let go of Hephaistion. He realized there was no choice but to go in again and see for himself what was going on behind the closed doors.

He stepped inside quietly, not wishing to disturb his grieving sovereign. He saw the same heartbreaking scene he witnessed several times since Hephaistion death; only now, in addition to broken Alexander who continued to embrace his deceased lover there was Laertes, also on his knees before Hephaistion's bed, his face streaked with tears and his hand holding one of the dead General.

Perdiccas sighed. He wanted Laertes to help the situation, not to make it worse. Now he had to deal with two broken people instead of one.

"Alexander," he said quietly, "we have to arrange for Hephaistion's funeral pyre. You have to give the orders, nobody else can. It can't be delayed any longer. "

"I won't allow Hephaistion's last rites to be held in this hovel," in a strong but very cold tone suddenly announced Alexander, "his funeral pyre and his last resting place will be in Babylon."

Perdiccas wanted to point out that the magnificent Ecbatana can hardly be compared to any kind of hovel but thought better of it. Instead he hesitantly started, "It's a long way to Babylon, Hephaistion's body…."

"…will be embalmed in the same manner as Egyptians prepare their Pharaohs for the land of the dead," firmly stated Alexander suddenly breaking his embrace of the body and standing up to declare his will to Perdiccas. General didn't fail to notice that his king compared Hephaistion to Pharaoh, not simply any nobleman or high ranking official.

"Of course; should I order the embalmers to come here or you wish it to happen somewhere else?"

"I will wait here. You," he suddenly turned in Jared's direction, "get out, I don't want to ever see you again."

Perdiccas stopped in his tracks and watched in bewilderment the hateful look that Alexander threw at Laertes. The young man snapped from his reverie and carefully put Hephaistion's hand that he was holding alongside his body.

"I am very sorry, Alexander," said Jared sadly, "I wish…."

"You wish?" roared the king and lurching at Jared forced him against the wall, his hands against actor's shoulders, his suddenly mad face inches from Jared's. Shaking actor's body in powerless anger, he shouted, mindless of Perdiccas' presence, "You knew he was going to die, you knew and did nothing, said nothing, all you did was to conveniently faint in the garden! Why did you come here? To gloat at my misery? To offer your useless 'sorry' and condolences? You betrayed me, betrayed me and Hephaistion." Enraged Alexander pulled Jared away from the wall and pushed him hard forward. If Perdiccas wasn't in the way breaking his fall, Jared would end on the floor with numerous bones broken and his head split.

"Get out before I give orders to execute you!" shouted Alexander and, staring at Perdiccas angrily asked, "Did you find Glaukos? I will skew him on a spit and slowly cook over the fire."

"Not yet, my king, but rest assured, he won't escape."

"Rest assured," maniacally mimicked Alexander, "and what YOU were doing while I grieved for Hephaistion? Took care of this traitor?"

"Alexander, please," Perdiccas tried to reason.

"Get out and take this useless trash with you. If I won't see the embalmers here within half an hour, I'll have you flogged. And I don't want to see anybody else now. And go and find those Ammon's priests that accompany my army, I will see them next."

"Yes, my king," Perdiccas hurried to assure distressed Alexander and, grabbing Jared by the wrist, left Hephaistion's bedroom far more distressed than he entered it.

"Alexander doesn't want to see anybody," moments later declared the general emerging from the door to the public. "If you don't believe my statement or wish to disregard it anyway, I hope you have your will drafted to your utmost satisfaction. Eumenus, let Ptolemy know where in the city you placed Egyptian embassy. He is to go and bring the best embalmers to Alexander. Aristander, go with general, Alexander wishes to see priests of Ammon next."

Eumenus looked worriedly at Ptolemy; the secretary wasn't sure how he is going to react to taking orders from Perdiccas.

However, Ptolemy surprised many by saying, "Well, Eumenus, do you have a sudden bout of amnesia? You heard king's orders! He wishes to see the embalmers and priests of Ammon immediately. What you are waiting for?"

"Yes, of course," hurriedly answered the secretary, moving towards the exit, "I will take you there myself."

After making sure that Aristander joined the group, Perdiccas turned to Jared. "I am certain the king didn't mean those words, I hope you can cut him some slack given the situation. But it's better to return to your rooms for now, Alexander may change his mind and exit any moment, he will be angry to see you still here. Besides, some further rest will do you good, I will come to visit when I can or send somebody with the latest news."

"I will do just that," said Jared quietly and turned away from Perdiccas. The general watched with a heavy heart Laertes' distraught figure disappearing in the crowd in the company of his page.

Jared wasn't sure whether he was surprised by Alexander's outburst or not. Since his first visit he knew that Alexander could be very harsh and in reality he was far more authoritative and despotic than ever portrayed by Colin in the movie. He was far more moved by Perdiccas' brotherly concern toward him than by Alexander's rudeness. After all, what did he ever do to earn general's trust and friendship? Why did he patronize him and cared about his well being? Why did he try to save him from Alexander's anger and disgrace probably at his own risk? Will he ever be able to repay his debt or he was destined to betray Perdiccas' friendship and fail him the same way he failed Hephaistion?

The dull pain, clutching his heart and head, made him gasp for air and he couldn't find strength neither to move along corridor nor to stop tears of desperation that burst from his eyes. If not for the page who was accompanying him, Jared would fall right there and then, but the strong youth caught him up and helped to get to his chambers. There Bagoas started to fuss all over him in his usual manner but to Jared's disappointment refused to provide him with any sleeping concoction.

"Kritobulos said you can't sleep, it's dangerous, you have to stay awake," insisted eunuch.

"Fuck Kritobulos, I don't care, I don't want to stay awake!"

"You have to," Bagoas wined but stood his ground, "do you want to eat? Drink something? Do you want a massage? I can give you a massage that will keep you awake for a long time. Do you want to go for a ride? To play music? Sightseeing?"

"Sightseeing? You are insane!"

"I can keep you angry, it's a good way not to fall asleep."

"Fuck off!"

"Do you want to…"

"Bagoas, can you simply shut up? Leave me alone!"

"I have an idea, you should go swimming! There is a beautiful pool in the palace; you know, Hephaistion visited it when we just came to Ecbatana, he was so happy, he couldn't believe that the palace boasted such a luxury. Do you know how to swim?"

"I said, leave me alone…"

"Or, do you want to go to the caves? Somebody mentioned that both you and Hephaistion have weakness for the caves. There are astounding caves just outside the city, and even underground river. Can you imagine, the river inside the caves? We can take local guides and go there. Hephaistion wanted to go there, he didn't have time but we can…."

"Stop bringing up Hephaistion's name!" shouted Jared, "shut up and let me think, can you do that?"

"Yes, yes, I will. I will go and bring some fruits and cold water," hurriedly assured him Bagoas and moved away. Jared watched with apathy how Bagoas gave instruction to the page and disappeared behind the curtains.

Jared, afraid to be left alone with his thoughts, motioned the page to approach and asked him to tell about his life and anything else that he could think of. Some time passed in conversation and then Bagoas returned bringing food and some musical instrument that looked like banjo. Both the eunuch and Theocles, the page, distracted Jared to the best of their ability and then, closer to the evening, Kritobulos appeared and after some poking and asking annoying questions declared that it was safe to sleep during the night.

Tired and exhausted from the day's events and afraid that he won't be able to fall asleep quickly, Jared didn't object strongly to Bagoas' offer to give him a relaxing massage. Blissfully, just a few short minutes after the eunuch started to glide his experienced hands over Jared's back, the actor entered the realm of Morpheus.

Several days passed in uneventful conversations, playing music and games from the arsenal of 21st century AD and 4th century BC board games. Both Bagoas and Theocles offered to go and bring back latest news from the palace and the city, but Jared firmly refused. He childishly adopted the attitude of the ostrich blocking any connection with reality. On the fourth day of his voluntary seclusion his artificial bubble was burst by Leonnatus who at last found the time for a short visit.

"I don't want to know anything," said Jared as a greeting.

"Fine," responded Leonnatus. He was back to his immaculate dressing code but no degree of deception could hide either his tiredness or the fact that he was drained and burnt out. "Can I just hide here from the crowd?"

"Be my guest. Bagoas, bring us something to eat."

"So, how are you doing?" asked Leonnatus and unceremoniously climbed into Jared's bed.

"I see not for the first time you like my bed," commented Jared. "Do you want to take a nap or something?"

"Nah, but I really like your bed. I think you got the best bed in palace. I would never guess that Eumenus was your secret admirer. So, you don't want to talk, ah? What we're then going to do?"

"Why did you come here?"

"You know why," Leonnatus responded nonchalantly, "I wanted to check on you. How you cope and such. Perdiccas told me about Alexander's outburst, I don't understand what it was all about. Why would he blame you for Hephaistion's death?"

"Leonnatus, I told you, I don't want to talk."

"All right, but just before I'm going to shut up – Perdiccas told others that Alexander was concerned about your well being and sent you to rest and ordered not to bother you unnecessary. So, if you're wondering why nobody comes to visit you…."

"I am not wondering. I don't want anybody to visit me, and Perdiccas should stop treating me with kid's gloves."

"Kid's gloves?" Leonnatus frowned in obvious confusion, "young children don't box."

"I didn't mean boxing, why would bring up boxing?"

"You said "kid's gloves", gloves used in boxing, so I don't understand what you meant."

"Hmm, nothing, it's just an expression. Don't pick up on me," Jared tried to sound defensive. It was not for the first time when he directly translated, in most cases, unconsciously, expressions from English into Greek and Macedonian and got in response puzzled looks and confusion.

"I am not picking up on you, I am just trying to sustain a conversation. If you don't want to talk, maybe we can play dice?"

"Really, Leonnatus? You have nothing better to do than play dice with me?"

"Oh, I have a lot to do and I can't stay long with you. How about we play two or three rounds and I will be gone?"

"Fine," agreed Jared, "let's play."

They were in the middle of the second round (after Jared suspiciously won the first in the game that he never played before), when one of Perdiccas' lieutenants hurriedly entered the room.

"General Leonnatus, general Perdiccas asks you to come immediately. The priests of Anahita refused to give up Glaukos. Alexander is going to be mad."

"They found Glaukos?" Jared couldn't suppress his sudden desire to know what was going on.

"Yes. Earlier today. Apparently, he took refuge in the temple of Anahita, her temple is a well known sanctuary in these lands. She is like our Artemis."

"So, she is a goddess of hunt and moon? Does she have a twin brother?"

"How would I know, I am not an expert in local deities. I think she is a goddess of healing, among other things, this is why Glaukos took refuge in her temple, I guess."

"Like Asklepious, then…"

"Yes, I presume. Sorry, Laertes, I have to go."

"I will go with you," announced Jared, catching up with Leonnatus at the doors.

"No way," the general barred his progress, "you can't give Alexander an excuse to kill you as he promised. Stay here, I will send somebody with the fresh news."

"No, I have to come," insisted Jared.

"No, you do not," firmly cut Leonnatos immediately changing his attitude from friendly to almost hostile. "Stay inside or I'll order your arrest."

"Leonnatos…" the actor made another attempt.

"No." The general pushed Jared inside and the actor heard his friend giving an order not to allow anybody in or out in tone that brooked no opposition.

"Bagoas," Jared turned to the eunuch, "I am sure you know other way to get out of here."

"It's not safe. General Leonnatos knows what he is doing. When King Alexander is mad, it's not wise to stand in his way."

Jared growled and, sending some dishes on the side table crashing to the floor, started to circle his room as a caged animal.

x x x x x x

Alexander was standing near the window in the antechamber of Hephaistion's suite. He ordered everybody away the first day he ventured from his beloved bedroom. He personally interviewed embalmers and send them to their gruesome work ordering them to perform their duties in Hephaistion's bedroom and if they needed anything, he assured them, it would be brought to them immediately. Next he talked to the priests of Ammon, ordering them to go all the way to Siwah and make sure Hephaistion will be proclaimed a god, just like he was.

He refused to go back to his rooms and those around him went out of their way to give their king at least some comfort. He took a bath, ordered to bring him black clothes and noticed with satisfaction that the page who brought his things had enough brain and tact to change his clothes to the black as well.

He cut his hair and ventured outside Hephaistion's suite to go to the royal stables where he cut manes of all his horses and those of Hephaistion's. He called Chief Groom and ordered to cut the manes and tails of all the horses in the Army and those that belonged to the city inhabitants. Afterwards he returned back to the palace, back to Hephaistion's suite and asked a number of his closest friends and advisors to share a meal with him. By this time everyone in Alexander's circle wised up and dressed entirely in black and cut their hair. The meal was served in grim silence and nobody risked starting a conversation.

"Thank you, Perdiccas, for cancelling all the festivities and forbidding any kind of music in the city. You seem to be the only one who knows what to do when I am not around. This is why I decided to put you in charge of bringing Hephaistion's body to Babylon and preparing his funeral pyre. I will let you know what troops you are going to take with you. I will come with the rest of the Army separately but I still have an unfinished business in the city. Speaking of which, any news of Glaukos' whereabouts?"

"Not yet, my king," slowly answered Perdiccas.

"Anybody else knows?" asked Alexander glancing at each of the present in turn.

Everyone shook their heads in negative motion and stared bluntly at their plates.

"We're doing our best," mumbled Eumenus at last, feeling Alexander's burning glance at his persona. "We offered a reward, 10 talents of silver. We sure somebody knows something. For this amount of money…"

"Very well, the moment he is found, chain him and drag to my presence. You're all dismissed now. If I need anybody or anything, I will let you know."

All the officers hurriedly scrambled to their feet and hurried to leave. Perdiccas tried to stay but Alexander looked at him blankly and saying "everybody" turned his back on Perdiccas and general wisely decided to follow the orders. The next few days he busied himself by preparing the journey to Babylon and brooding over the events of the last week. He saw Alexander only on the mornings of each day when the king invited the same group of people who shared his meal at the first evening to come and participate in the royal breakfast.

On the fourth day Eumenus' enormous reward brought the desired result. Just when their morning meal was almost over and Alexander was about to dismiss everybody, Sostratos, Hephaistion's lieutenant who headed the search for Glaukos burst in, announcing, "My King, we found him, we found Glaukos!"

Alexander's eyes immediately lit up with murderous glint, "Why you didn't drag him here, is he dead?"

"No, no. He is still alive. He is hiding in the temple of Anahita. Can you imagine, he was betrayed by a serving woman of his own daughter! Some old spite or something that she couldn't forgive. But the priests refuse to surrender him. They say the temple grounds are sacred. Even Atropates threats didn't help. But knowing your respect for the gods, the governor sent me to find out what your orders would be."

Instead of springing into action as everybody expected him to do, Alexander suddenly became quiet and pensive. After remaining silent for a couple of minutes, he gave his orders, "Perdiccas, go with Sostratos and find Royal Magi. Tell them to go to the temple of Anahita and persuade the Chief Priest to give up Glaukos. If all goes well, put him into chains and bring here. If the Chief Priest won't listen to Royal Magi, invite him to come to me. Politely. Make sure Magi come here as well. You are dismissed, for now. Come back when either Glaukos brought here, or Magi return with the priest of Anahita."

When Leonnatos joined the rest of Alexander's generals in Hephaistion's antechamber that was transformed by king into an improvised state room, it was packed to its capacity. Leonnatos, holding high positions of Alexander's bodyguard, general and close childhood friend, had no difficulty of cutting through the crowd to take his proper place close to Alexander. The king sat on the chair that he took from room that Hephaistion used as an office during his stay at Ecbatana. He was seemingly calm and was listening politely what the Chief Priest was saying.

After the speech was translated to Alexander, he didn't show any signs of anger. He turned calmly to the Royal Magi asking them if they want to make one last attempt of convincing the Chief Priest. The Magi obliged though unsuccessfully.

"Well, then," said Alexander as if it was some trivial issue. "If you can't help me with this matter, let's discuss the one that in your direct area of control. The sacred royal fire, together with all fire altars in my empire, together with sacred fires in each household is to be extinguished in honour of Hephaistion."

"O King of Kings," exclaimed one of the Magi in disbelieve, "you have been misinformed. We grieve with you about the untimely death of the great Chiliarch, but the sacred fires can be extinguished only upon the death of the Great King."

Alexander let the Magos finish and continued as if there was no interruption, "From the embers of Hephaistion's funeral pyre in Babylon, new royal fire will be lit by my hand, and from the flames of the new royal fire the selected magi will carry torches to the fire altars in my kingdom and the households will be allowed to lit their hearth fires as well."

The absolute silence descended on room.

"O Great King," the Chief Magos approached the king and fell on his knees touching Alexander's feet in a supplicant position, "please rescind your order. It's an awful sign – a threat to your life, to your rule, to your kingdom and all your people. A sacred fire can be extinguished only on the death of the king, only…"

"You've heard your orders, magi," firmly said Alexander, "and you're going to follow them. Now, Perdiccas, did you plan the route for Hephaistion's funeral car through Ecbatana?"

"Yes, Alexander," confirmed the general.

"I want to see it now," business-like ordered Alexander, "Sostratos, fetch the table from Hephaistion's office. Eumenus, did you bring the map of the city as I asked?"

"Yes, my king," hurriedly assured secretary.

The table was brought and unfolded to allow the big map to be spread on it fully. Alexander invited his remaining seven somatophylakes to approach, together with Eumenus and Atropates.

"Show me," curtly ordered Alexander.

Perdiccas started to explain the route that cut through the city from the palace to one of the gates. Alexander listened patiently and almost emotionlessly to the explanation of his general as if they were discussing new campaign plans.

"Why exit at these gates?" asked Alexander when Perdiccas finished. "It's far from the road you have to take to Babylon."

"The only gates close to the road are those near the palace and you said that the cortege shouldn't make a loop. There are other gates that close to the road, right here," and Perdiccas pointed to some spot on the map, but the road is too steep." Perdiccas could feel that Alexander's interest in the route, so publicly displayed for so many people to see and hear, had some hidden meaning. But, as most of Alexander's plans, it was impossible to guess until the very last moment.

Alexander pretended to study the map for some moments and then said, "The road comes very close to the city right here, between these two gates, it's a soft decline and no buildings outside to hinder the progress. I am not worried about the absence of the proper gates. We can demolish this portion of the wall so at least 8 horses can go abreast. There is enough time. I was told," Alexander stopped talking and Perdiccas, standing next to the king, heard his monarch swallow hard and then sharply inhale trying to fight the lump in the throat, "I was told we have to wait at least two months before Hephaistion's body is ready to travel."

The uncomfortable silence fell in the room. Nobody dared to utter a sound. "What is this rectangle adjacent to the wall?" asked Alexander regaining his composure.

"It's a temple of Anahita," Atropates supplied the answer. 

"Ah," noted Alexander and fell silent again. "Then I am afraid it should be demolished to give us access to the wall."

"King Alexander," the Median satrap was shocked to hear such an order but was clever enough to realize that direct disobedience would cost him dearly. "The temple is… it's built by the best masters from the strongest wood. It meant to stand for many generations. I am not sure it's possible to accomplish such a task in such a short period of time."

"I am sure you'll find a way to succeed, Atropates. You have a month and a half. But if you find this task too daunting, feel free to seek Ptolemy's assistance. His mistress can give you an excellent advice on how to demolish the most forbidding structure in no time."

The High Priest of Anahita tried to protest. "The temple is sacred to our people. It served as an asylum to all the persecuted and unjustly accused of the crimes they didn't commit. We turn no one from our steps, we…"

"What about king Darius?" viciously asked Alexander. "He was your lawful king and came here looking for help from his subjects. You didn't give him any help, you refused him asylum, you conspired with the traitor Bessus, who killed Darius one month after he left your city. But you chose to shelter Glaukos! You wish to protect a man who is responsible for Hephaistion's death! Your goddess is disgusted at your behaviour and don't wish to dwell in that polluted temple anymore. Remove this man from my presence. He is not worthy of being in the presence of his king!"

x x x x x x

"He actually accused the priest of not giving any help to Darius?" asked Jared in disbelieve when Perdiccas came to visit him a few days later.

"Aha," confirmed the general playing with a piece honeyed sweet as if it was soft clay. "I am exhausted, Laertes. I hate this city! Every day Alexander finds a new way to desecrate it. First went the battlements – who whole engineering corpus is working on taking them down. Then my father-in-law used Alexander's excuse for destroying the temple of Anahita and first dragged Glaukos from the temple and then started to take it down piece by piece.

"Perdiccas, what happened to Glaukos?" asked Jared mentally preparing himself to hear some very grim description from the general.

"Want to take a guess?" dispassionately suggested the former.

"He was tortured to find out if he was a part of conspiracy to kill Hephaistion and then…I don't know – crucified?" Jared ventured remembering what he read about Glaukos' death.

"Not exactly." Perdiccas fell silent for a few moments and then looked Jared directly in the eyes. His sharp glance seemed trying to penetrate the every thought that his companion was hiding. "I understand why Alexander thinks that you could have prevented Hephaistion's death and you didn't. You seem to know a lot about the future, I don't know how."

"What do you mean?" asked Jared uneasily.

"Remember when we waited for Alexander while he was consulting the priest at Siwah and Philotas tried to humiliate you? When you grabbed his balls you threatened him that the pain that he was feeling at the moment was nothing comparing to the pain he would have to endure in the future from Hephaistion's hands."

"Yes, so what, just a lucky guess, not so difficult given Philotas' obnoxiousness," Jared tried to diminish the significance of the occasion.

"If you say so. Hephaistion was so mad at Philotas for either plotting or not reporting others of plotting to end Alexander's life that he tortured him so viciously that poor general Kenos had to leave the room because he couldn't take it. Well, Alexander returned the favour in inflicting the worth physical ordeal and even topped it with a sadistic twist. He first asked Glaukos if he wanted to admit his and/or his co-conspirators guilt in the death of Hephaistion. Glaukos of course said that he didn't plot anything, conspired with nobody and simply wasn't at fault of the Chiliarch's death."

"You know, Alexander was so calm and serene when he talked to Glaukos," admitted Perdiccas, "it was frightening. I was sure that Alexander had something outrageous in mind and I was almost afraid to hear what he was going to say. And I have to tell you, I never expected Alexander to come up with that….."

"With what?" asked Jared not sure that he wanted to know.

"He said that being a physician he deserved the death "invented" by the god of healing."

"I thought Asklepios was responsible for bringing dead back to life, not for inventing any new kinds of death."

"Alexander didn't mean Asklepios but his father. Do you know what Apollo did to Marsyas?"

"Oh, no," exclaimed Jared, shocked. "Alexander had Glaukos flayed?"

"Slowly. And then he proceeded doing the same to the city of Ecbatana. His latest order was to strip silver and gold sheets from the roofs of all buildings. We are to take them to Babylon and make a part of the funeral pyre. He wrote to Mazeus to prepare the grounds. He showed me a drawing, it's enormous. He wants the pyre to look like a ziggurat, and not any ziggurat, he wants it to be an exact image of the Tower of Tongues, he even wants it to be erected on the same spot."

"What's the Tower of Tongues?" asked Jared.

"Ah, Laertes, I wish you were with us in the Babylon when we first entered it. It was simply incredible. Such good memories; I am afraid they all will be blacked by our next visit. So, one day Mazeus was giving Alexander, Hephaistion and some others, me including, a tour of the city. It was a very pompous procession. He told us about old, legendary times when people supposedly spoke the same language and lived in prosperity and happiness. They were so proud of what they achieved that they decided to build a tower so high that its top would touch the heaven. It sort of reminds me our own myth about Bellerophon. The gods became angry at the hubris of the city's inhabitants and destroyed the tower before it could reach the heaven. As an additional punishment and also I think as a precaution, they made people to forget their common language and gave them many different languages instead so that they couldn't understand each other and wouldn't agree on anything. Without understanding, the people started to quarrel and waged wars on each other destroying everything they achieved before. But they left the remnants of the tower as a reminder of the time when they spoke one language and were almost as powerful as gods. Sad story. Mazeus showed us the place where, according to the legend, the tower once stood. It looks like a base of the huge ziggurat."

"The Tower of Babel!" exclaimed Jared, "I can't believe it. Hephaistion's pyre is going to be erected on the spot where the Tower once stood and be its possible replica? How anybody knows how the Tower looked like?"

"There are some carved images preserved on the walls of the temples. So, you also heard this legend?" asked Perdiccas, surprised. "You know, Laertes, you never told me where are you from and how you, Alexander and Hephaistion met. Don't you trust me?"

"I trust you, Perdiccas." Jared fell silent. "But don't ask me questions I can't answer. You want me to open Pandora box and you know how it ended."

"Does it have anything to do with Alexander accusing you in Hephaistion's death? Or that you knew how to prevent it and didn't?"

"Yeah, in a way. Only, I didn't know how to prevent Hephaistion's death. If I knew, we wouldn't sit here discussing his funeral."

"But what Alexander meant when he said…"

"Forget it, Perdiccas. Alexander wasn't himself with grief. He just…he didn't know how to deal with Hephaistion's death."

"He still doesn't know," Perdiccas sighed. "King Philip was right, it's not good for a king to hold anybody so close to the heart. Even if you are not a king, it's still not good."

"You don't believe in love?"

"I do believe, I am just saying I don't want to do anything with it. It's dangerous, it can kill you as sure as a sword. It's not good to have strong feelings for anybody, period. Any kind of feelings. I wish Hephaistion wasn't my friend. Then I would care little for his death, I would just follow Alexander's orders and think only about my advancement in the ranks. Damn love and friendship, it's a curse not a blessing."


	22. Book of Tripolis, Ch 15Road to Babylon

Title: Alexander Revisited

Disclaimer # 1: I am fully aware that the movie with the same title exists (on DVD); this story was born out of that movie but took a turn to AU where it would reside with no intention of coming into a conflict with the original creation.

Disclaimer # 2: This story is a pure fiction. I don't know the real people involved; anything they do and say in my story has nothing to do with the actual lives of those people.

A/N # 1 - Thank you, my wonderful friends, who read and commented on the chapters that I already posted. My special regards to those who commented for the first time and who added this story to their favorites and story alert. It would be also wonderful to hear the thoughts of those who read the story but didn't voice their opinion yet. Thank you all.

Days continued to drag for Jared at excruciatingly slow speed. He ventured a little out of his rooms but found no solace in the visits to the city and he had no desire to explore the palace.

Leonnatus and Perdiccas would come often and other guests started to show up too but they all had an excuse of being busy and the visits didn't last long. It looked like everybody was still in the dark about Jared's disgrace, even Alcetas, Perdiccas' brother, had no idea of what transpired at Hephaistion's bedroom.

One day, when Bagoas was still trying to persuade Jared to go and visit the caves, Ptolemy and Thais showed up. All three played perfectly well their roles and outsider, who wouldn't know about what had happened between the three of them in Susa, would never guess their true feelings. Well, actually, all four of them, since Bagoas wisely decided that it would be better if he served his master and his guests on the occasion. Both general and his mistress politely and with seemingly genuine interest inquired about Jared's well being, expressed their condolences regarding the unfortunate death of his friend Gavalos and their concern about Alexander's state of mind as a result of Hephaistion's death.

The visit gave creeps to Jared and he couldn't wait till it ended. Trying to erase the unpleasant memory from his mind, he actually agreed to Bagoas' proposition to go and visit the caves at last. The eunuch was indeed great at anticipating his master every wish and had everything ready, including the local guides. It took them almost a whole day to get to the caves and, arriving at evening, they decided to postpone the exploration till the morning. They stayed for the night in the local village and Jared for the first time got the opportunity to see the "real life" in former Persian Empire during those times because until now he either traveled with Alexander's Army or along the Royal Road from Siwah and stayed either in big cities or along the horse changing stations.

He wasn't sure whether to be surprised or not when he witnessed the snobbish attitude of his guides, the dwellers of the Royal city of Ecbatana, towards the humble villagers. "Nothing changed in the last 25 centuries," mused Jared watching how his guides, many of them most probably of the same humble origin, now strutted as peacocks among their less fortunate countrymen, taking whatever they wanted under the excuse of the "King's business". They didn't give a second glance to the poor souls and when somebody tried to defend their meagre belongings, they were rudely pushed aside. Jared tried to intervene, but the head of the guides politely asked him not to, and Bagoas advised him to stay away from the dealings with locals with the aloofness that he rarely displayed in his master's presence.

The morning was grey and bleak. Jared quickly ate the breakfast and already started to regret his decision to visit the caves. His mood didn't improved much when they arrived to the caves, which were nothing like the grand description and beautiful pictures he saw on the internet when he explored the area. In some two hours they were done and there wasn't much to see. He insisted on returning to Ecbatana same very day though his guides tried to persuade him to return to the village for one more night of entertainment. Jared didn't wish to know the details of entertainment they had previous day and insisted on turning back. They arrived at the palace when everything was dark and Jared, dead tired and disappointed, went directly to the bed, waving Bagoas away.

Next day, in the afternoon, Perdiccas, in the company of his father-in-law, Atropates, came for the visit. Jared absentmindedly listened to Atropates' recounting of the progress of the destruction of Anahita's temple. The actor was surprised that the governor had so little qualms about demolishing the temple but from the details dropped here and there he soon realized the reason. Atropates was a follower of Zoroaster, whose teachings, just a couple of hundreds years old, were relatively new to the area, where older gods, such as Anahita, were somewhat adopted into the new pantheon.

Jared couldn't quite explain it but somehow the disappointment he felt at the caves was far more important to him that Atropates' musings about Ahuramazda and Ahriman. He suspected that it had something to do with the fact that caves was their, his and Hephaistion's, method of transportation between their times and Jared hoped for some miracle to happen.

"I read in Herodotus," Jared decided that he can use the name of the famous Greek historian as substitution for the knowledge he acquired browsing the Internet though he had no idea whether the respected Greek wrote anything on the subject of the caves at Ecbatana's vicinity, "that there were the most astonishing caves, with underground rivers and lakes, near your city. Even your famous king Darius, I mean the first one, of course, ordered his clerks to chisel some victory lines at the entrance to the cave. He defeated some of his enemies somewhere nearby, isn't it?"

"You're probably mixing several things into one," counselled Atropates. "After Darius defeated rebel Frada, who proclaimed himself a Median king after the death of Cambyses, he ordered to carve the story of his victory in stone. Years later, his son Xerxes ordered another carving in the same place, acknowledging Ahuramazda as the greatest of all gods and giving thanks for making him an outstanding ruler among other innumerable rulers. Those inscriptions are to the south of Ecbatana, near the place called Dadmehan in Harvant mountains. There are some waterfalls but no caves.

Another inscription is on the road to Babylon near the place called Bagastana. This inscription is made on the orders of Darius as well, thanking Ahuramazda for the king's victory over the rebel Gaumata, who dared to proclaim himself a King of Kings. There are no caves there."

"Isn't it the same inscription that Oxyatres showed us when we came from Susa to Ecbatana?" Jared turned to Perdiccas for confirmation but the general only shrugged his shoulders in a gesture of indifference.

"Most probably it's the one," confirmed Atropates instead of his son-in-law. "However, I know what caves you are talking about. Those are to the north of Ecbatana and it takes some four days to get there. There are indeed inscriptions at the entrance made on the orders of Darius whose reconnaissance party discovered them. It's a very long cave with many chambers, and lakes, and rivers. Nobody knows where it ends or how long it is. There is a village nearby and the locals go inside the cave of the rafts, you can't go far otherwise. The water carves its way through the stones and creates beautiful figures. The lion one is one of the most popular."

"The lion?" asked Jared with vivid interest.

"The sculpture of a lion created by gods themselves. Local women tend to believe that rubbing the sculpture brings fertility to their wombs. The village made quite a business of that, there are many visitors in the warm months of the year."

"Do you have people who know how to get there? I want to go to those caves," insisted Jared.

"This time of the year is not the best for going there. Besides, you will be absent for some two weeks. Alexander may need your presence and….."

"Alexander has far more important things on his mind now than my company or the lack of thereof. I have to go there. You have to arrange it for me."

Atropates raised his right brow. He was not in a habit of taking orders from anybody apart from the King. Like many others in Alexander's court, he couldn't quite figure out where exactly this Laertes stood in king's favour, so he felt silent, contemplating his options. However Perdiccas tipped the scales in favour of Jared's idea by remembering that Hephaistion also heard about the caves and wished to visit them.

"I am sure Alexander will be pleased to know that you helped Laertes to fulfil one of the last Hephaistion's desires," diplomatically advised to Atropates his son-in-law.

"Very well," conceded the governor, "I will arrange for the guides and appropriate convoy, "the caves are off the beaten path and I don't savour the idea of reporting you missing or injured to Alexander. Give me three days from tomorrow, you'll leave on forth in the morning."

After that the conversation drifted to the topic of Alexander's orders concerning Ecbatana and how Hephaistion's unexpected death turned everybody's lives upside down.

Later that evening Jared told Bagoas what to prepare for their journey. The eunuch nodded and sighed. He felt obliged to accompany his master though he had very little desire to endure such a strenuous journey. Laertes still remained a complete mystery for him. By now Bagoas realized that sex would have no place in their relationship and yet he felt that his master attitude softened a little towards him. He wasn't sure yet whether to be happy about it or not because he started to miss the intimate interaction with men. Neither Darius nor Alexander were cruel with him so his experiences weren't as horrific as some of the other eunuchs who had sadistic masters.

Bagoas almost managed to convince himself that he didn't fail with Laertes because he couldn't seduce him. True, he didn't hold any power over his new master but then again, he didn't need to compete with anybody for that power. With Darius, he was always on guard for a new competition which was numerous but time and again, after enjoying a new boy for a night or two, the King of Kings always asked for Bagoas. With Alexander, he was initially under a rosy illusion that he managed to steal the new king away from his long time lover. The hard truth of his naïve mistake almost shattered Bagoas self esteem to smithereens but he recovered and stubbornly continued to throw himself in Alexander's presence when Hephaistion was away or when he learnt that the lovers quarrelled.

Laertes' arrival at Susa didn't ring any suspicious bells in Bagoas' mind so he was completely devastated again when Alexander so heartlessly, in eunuch's opinion, gifted him to this new unexpected player of the king's court.

It didn't take Bagoas long to figure out that Laertes was very different from everybody else. But he was very high in king's favour, was very close to many of the most important players in Alexander's court and his initial disdain and hostility gradually scaled down to either polite indifference or sometimes almost friendly fraternizing. After Hephaistion's death Bagoas entertained an idea that Alexander would ask for him back. But days passed and there was no sign of it. Laertes devastation at the news of the Chiliarch's death came as unexpected surprise. Bagoas knew that they were friendly and according to some rumours both Alexander and Hephaistion met Laertes at the same time. He tried to cheer his master up by engaging him in conversation about Hephaistion but it didn't sit well with Laertes who seemed to dislike hearing Chiliarch's name from Bagoas' lips.

"Why he needs so much dry walnut shells on this trip?" wondered Bagoas carefully wrapping each one is soft wool. "And why he is so obsessed with caves? What if Alexander suddenly decides to leave Ecbatana? He is not going to wait for us to return and I hate the idea of spending the whole winter in Ecbatana. What if he decides to leave me here? Alexander doesn't care any more about me. I wonder if he ever did. He said he did…."

x

Jared knew that his insistence of going to those caves was more than a simple desire to escape Ecbatana and Alexander's anger. He felt it was something he had to do for Hephaistion regardless of whether the Chiliarch really wanted to go and visit those caves. When he researched Ecbatana on the Internet before their trip and saw the gorgeous pictures of the cave system, he mused how different those caves looked from the one in Siwah. He promised himself that if they would succeed in saving Hephaistion's live, he would persuade Chiliarch to go there and explore. He made no plans for Hephaistion's death; not because he was so sure in the success of their enterprise but because he refused to contemplate their actions in case of failure. And of course, he didn't envision at all that he would have to face it alone, without Damian. And that his friend would be killed by Hephaistion himself, he couldn't image such a twist of fate at all.

He horse under Jared danced impatiently, eager to move. It was very chilly in the early morning.

"It's a middle of November already," absentmindedly mused Jared and petted the mane of his horse lovingly. "We're leaving soon, Dina, don't worry," he promised his mare. He smiled then, remembering how back in Susa Hephaistion asked him why he gave such a strange name to his horse.

"Because of its pale grey colour," Jared pictured in his mind's eye the happier times in Susa. The recollection of Hephaistion's warm smile and dancing sparkles of curiosity in his fascinating black eyes warmed Jared's shivering body. "It's so pale that it's almost white. Back at home I have a white guitar. It's a music instrument that I play, looks something like a lyre. I gave my instrument a name."

"Dina?" asked Hephaistion.

"No, White Artemis."

"Artemis! What a strange name for a musical instrument. Wouldn't it be more appropriate to call it Apollo?"

"Yes, it would be but I thought it would be a little too presumptuous. Still, Artemis is his twin sister, and you know, my last name is Leto, so I thought it was very fitting. You do remember what last name is, right?"

"Yes, I do. But what's the connection between Artemis and Dina?"

"You've heard about Romans, right? They live in the peninsula that west of Hellas."

"Of course I've heard about the Romans. Wait, I think they call our Artemis Diana. Is Dina short for Diana?"

"Yes, it is. You're so smart. That's exactly how my thoughts went. Only I didn't want to call my horse by a Roman name and I was not sure whether giving Artemis' name to a mare was appropriate, even considering that she is a goddess of hunt and animals. So, I chose Dina."

Jared could hear Hephaistion's happy laugh in his mind. He came back to a grim reality when he heard his name repeated several times. He hurriedly brushed his tears away and looked in the direction from where the voice was coming.

A young man in his late twenties, pale and sickly looking, was trying to catch Jared's attention. "My name is Peridemos," he introduced himself, "I am Hephaistion's weapons' master."

"Weapon master?" asked Jared with surprise.

"I know, I don't look much like one, especially now," conceded the young man, "I wish to go with you on this trip. I brought my own horse and provisions. General Perdiccas promised to have a word with you about me joining your group. Did he?"

"No, he didn't but I can understand, he is very busy. Why do you want to go with us?"

"It's personal."

Jared gave another look to the man, "You don't look that well," he stated the obvious.

"I know," Peridemos didn't argue, "but I can manage. Please."

"Well, all right, but if you get any more sick, I can't spare men to stay with you or go back."

"I know. It won't be a problem," the man assured again.

Jared nodded again and shivered from cold. No wonder the people around him didn't look happy. None of them would chose to go on this journey on their own. But Atropates didn't ask for volunteers, he simply chose those who he thought would be best for this task. Perdiccas also added men from his own regiment as a precaution. All in all, their party, together with porters and slaves, consisted of almost two hundred men.

They traveled during the day and stayed in villages at night. They got lucky with weather, this time of the year considering; the guides told them that it was not at all unusual to have snow or rain but the weather gods were merciful. Jared wished that he could say the same about the gods of common sense but unfortunately it wasn't the case.

During their second night of the journey, Artaces, the Median put by Atropates in charge of their small expedition, accompanied Jared into his small room saying that he wished to discuss an important matter with him. Having no notion whatsoever as to the possible topic of this important matter, Jared politely agreed. Artaces spoke some broken Greek but his jarred sentences left no doubt about the topic. The Median wished to experience the sexual skills of Bagoas and wanted to know how much would it cost him "to hump the marmot" during the rest of their journey.

Despite acquiring the knowledge of ancient Greek language without any effort, Jared realized at the very early stage of his 4th century BC experience that his mastery of the vocabulary was exceptional and didn't leave any white spots. Artaces' question was outrageous in its rudeness but Jared decided to concentrate on other points.

"First of all," he advised coldly, "Bagoas won't able to display any of his skills if you simply going to hump him. And second of all, he is a Royal eunuch and as such, is not for sale."

"But King Alexander gifted him to you and I was told that you have no use for him in bed," insisted the Median unabashed.

"Royal gifts are not supposed to be re-gifted. I am surprised to see you still alive and not be aware of the fact," continued Jared wishing to finish this conversation as soon as possible. To quarrel with the official head of their expedition was the last thing on Jared's mind though. He cursed Atropates for saddling him with such an individual and blessed Perdiccas for providing him with Macedonian troops, just in case, as well.

Artaces pouted but didn't insist further. He bowed stiffly, wished Jared good night and left the room. Shortly after, Bagoas appeared, inquiring if his master wished anything. From eunuch impassive face Jared couldn't tell whether he was aware of the interest in his persona. He briefly entertained the idea of warning Bagoas but then decided against it; instead, he asked him to find and bring Tessander, the officer in charge of Macedonian troops. When the man arrived, he advised him to be on alert for a possible treachery. Wanting to make sure that his warning will be taken seriously, Jared thought it wise to share the grounds for this precaution.

To Jared's utmost dismay, Tessander found the whole issue entertaining and, after assuring the actor that he would take all the necessary measures, started to share his and his comrades' sexual exploits in the former Darius' empire with details that Jared absolutely didn't wish to know.

"I am too tired for bed night stories, maybe next time," Jared interrupted the officer in a mid sentence."

"I didn't take you for a prude," Tessander smirked. "Besides, I am sure Artaces wanted to gain your favour by referring to the eunuch by the nickname given to him by Hephaistion. How do you think, with his rather limited Greek, he would know such a word?"

"Are you saying Hephaistion referred to Bagoas as marmot?" Jared asked in disbelieve.

"Aha," happily nodded Tessander, "everybody knows that; so, maybe the rumour was right…"

"What rumour?"

"That you and Hephaistion didn't see eye to eye….so obviously Artaces miscalculated."

Jared shrugged the shoulders, there was no point to prove or disapprove that rumour now. Not long time ago, if he would became aware of such a gossip, he would carefully feed it to keep it alive so that Hephaistion's enemies might be tempted to bring him to their side and he might learn something useful. But now….it really didn't matter anymore.

"You have to admit, Hephaistion was right, the creature does look like a marmot," insisted Tessander.

"I don't care if he thought him to look like a behemoth," Jared started to become angry. "This is an idle conversation and I told you I was tired. It's a long day tomorrow, so if you have nothing else to do, go check the guards and make sure that Artaces doesn't plan anything stupid. That's be all for today. You're dismissed."

This time, Tessander took Jared's words for what they were, an order; he left promptly, wishing good night. 

Despite his tiredness, or maybe because of it, Jared couldn't fall asleep for a long time. One moment he doubted the soundness of this whole idea of going to the caves, another – he praised himself for finding a way to honour Hephaistion in some way and at the same time to get out of Alexander's sight. He chided his childishness of hoping for some sort of miracle to happen at those caves but then commended himself of coming prepared and thinking about every minute of ritual he was going to perform. He bemoaned the shortness of his quality time in Chiliarch's company but wasn't sure he wanted to know every thought that ever gone through Hephaistion's head or every feeling that tormented his heart. In the end, he fell asleep counting marmots, and not sheep, jumping over the fence.

In the last village before the caves they picked up the raft that the villages used to go into the caves.

"What would happened if Atropates was lying and villages didn't have the raft?" asked Tessander, hawkishly watching the porters balancing the heavy contraption on their shoulders.

"We would make them to build one," answered Jared.

"It would take a long time, especially now, when winter is almost upon us. We would be stuck here for ages."

"Then you'd better make sure nobody drops that raft instead of wasting your time on the useless conversation with me," advised Jared and turned away from Tessander missing the opportunity to see how little enthusiasm his phrase inspired in the officer. The actor knew he was being rude and he almost was so on purpose. He could neither calm nor explain the rage that possessed his mind since Hephaistion's death. He was rude to almost everybody and every polite interaction cost him a lot self restrain. There were so many reasons to be angry, frustrated and simply mad that he completely abandoned the idea to single out any particular reason at any given moment of time.

He was angry at Hephaistion for killing Damian, angry at Alexander for accusing him of not preventing Hephaistion's death, angry at Perdiccas and Leonnatos for patronizing and protecting him. He was angry at Bagoas for existing in Alexander's world and angry at Damian for stupidly falling in love with Hephaistion and letting himself to be killed by him; he was angry at himself for not being able to avert Hephaistion's death and not being able to get a grip of himself in the current situation. However, most of all he was angry at the unknown beings who played such a cruel game with other people's lives.

Few hours after leaving the village they arrived at the caves. Jared ordered to set up a camp with the intention of staying in the area for several days. He wandered aimlessly around, resisting a temptation to go inside the caves and forbade everybody to go inside as well. He spent hours till dusk criticizing everybody in the vicinity, finding fault at every move, action or a word that crossed his eyesight or fell within his earshot.

"Why are you trying to piss off everybody around you?" Jared sharply turned in the direction of the owner of a rather pleasant voice asking such an unpleasant question.

"I see you look much better now," coldly stated the actor recognizing Hephaistion's weapons' master that joined their expedition at the last moment.

"After believing for so many years in the oracle, it's very strange for me to discover that it was wrong after all," enigmatically answered Peridemos. "Or maybe I simply made myself and others to believe."

"What oracle?" Jared asked. He cared very little for whatever story Peridemos was referring to, but he was hoping for some excuse to hurt the feelings of yet another person. Maybe in the end somebody will be fed up to the brim with his offences and cut his throat. "All my problems will be resolved then, no more tossing up at night, no more fretting during the day, no more worries about preventing Alexander's own death, or facing the necessity of explaining my failures to Colin and Oliver when I come back. Better not to come back at all. Gods, why it affects me so much? It's not my fault that Hephaistion died, he died thousands years ago, before I even was born. I want out! Do you hear me, whoever you are? I want out!" mentally shouted Jared staring with unseeing eyes at the man in front of him.

Jared wasn't sure how long he was in this state but when he came back to reality, Peridemos was still there, the look of worry and concern on his otherwise rather fresh and healthy face.

"Bagoas asked if I can convince you to eat," rather out of blue announced Peridemos. "Pistachio stuffed roasted goat and red wine. The one we brought from Ecbatana. I meant the wine, of course. The goat came from the village. Can't you smell it? It's beyond delicious. I was hoping for a piece. How about a piece of goat and sip of wine for a story about oracle? Deal?"

"I see that you've learned the negotiation skills from Hephaistion," growled out Jared not wishing to admit surrender. Suddenly, he was hungry, thirsty and in a mood for a story that could take his thoughts from the dark places of his mind even for a short period of time.

"I've learnt what I could," admitted Peridemos, "but the late Chiliarch was natural. I had the pleasure of accompanying him for many years but his talents never seized to amaze me. It's a pity that you didn't like him, I can't understand it. Maybe you didn't spend enough time in his company. But the rumour has it that you undertook this journey to the caves on his behalf. One thing contradicts the other, though."

"I am afraid you believe too much in rumours and oracles," suggested Jared, following Peridemos to the private campfire that Bagoas arranged for his master. Deliciously smelling plates of meat, nuts and some finger food were arranged on the high enough slab to serve as an improvised table near the fire. Bagoas have some smaller smooth stones placed nearby and prudently covered them with furs to sit upon.

"Leave us alone," Jared waived to Bagoas. Then, following some unnamed twinge of his heart, he added, "have something to eat for yourself and don't go anywhere near Artaces."

The actor watched him silently disappear from his line of sight and, conspiratorially winking at Peridemos, asked, "Do you also think he looks like marmot?"

"Ha-ha," Peridemos laughed, "I always loved Hephaistion sense of humour. "Did you ever see a sentry marmot on a watch?"

"A sentry marmot?" asked Jared with half full mouth of delicious meat, "I am not sure what you mean."

"Marmots live in burrows. They don't have any means to defence against those who want to eat them, their only salvation is to hide quickly in those burrows. But they need to eat and do whatever other things they want to do. So, they choose sentries, a group of marmots who takes turns to watch for predators while others go around. I don't know how they actually choose but whatever. So, those sentries, they stay on their hind legs for a very long time not moving from a spot for hours sometimes. They are like small furry statues frozen on the spot, but at the smallest sign of danger, they emit some sound and everybody ducks inside their holes. Well, too bad for those who are not fast enough or who wandered too far from a burrow. There are a lot of false attacks too. It's really funny to watch. Well, you have to be bored out of your mind to pass your time watching marmots for entertainment but it happened sometimes when we had a lot of spare time on our hands and nothing to do.

Well, back to Bagoas. Did you ever see him stay motionlessly on one spot for a long time? Especially in Alexanders' presence? He would stay immobile, ready to serve his master at any moment, or if Alexander would want him to disappear, he would prostrate himself and duck out of sight as quickly as marmot to his burrow. But it all started during a winter in Bactria when Bagoas got sick because he stupidly refused to wear proper warm clothes. When he got well, Alexander presented him with a cloak of marmots' tails. One day, at the late hour, Hephaistion, exhausted, returned from some reconnaissance mission and not given any reprieve, was summoned to Alexander's quarters. When he entered king's private chamber the first sight was immobile Bagoas standing watch in his marmot cloak. Frustrated and not in the mood, the general rather loudly protested, "What this marmot doing here again?"

Everybody laughed but Bagoas continued to stay there as emotionlessly as a statue. Next day, courtesy of admiral Nearchus, the incident became the talk of the army. Everybody exercised their sharp tongues but all jokes evolved around the question "What the difference between a real marmot and Bagoas The Marmot?"

"And what the difference?" asked Jared fully prepared to hear some obscenity in response.

"The real marmot burrows himself in the hole, Bagoas The Marmot allows others to burrow themselves in his hole."

"I don't know why I even asked," commented Jared in disgust. "He is a human being and I am sure he didn't choose that life for himself."

"I am sure Hephaistion didn't choose to die in Ecbatana either," suddenly changed the topic of their conversation Peridemos. "Gods make their choices for us. Sometimes we live under the illusion that we're capable of avoiding or changing those choices. But I think even gods can't change those and everybody is stuck with what they got."

"I thought you were a weapons' master and not a philosopher. So, what's your story and what you are stuck with?"

"Hephaistion."

"What do you mean?" Jared asked, now with genuine interest.

"I have to go back in time. My father was, well, and still is, a respected blacksmith in Athens. There are a lot of blacksmiths in Athens and because of it most prefer to specialize in certain areas; there are those who produce only weapons, those who produce big tools like plows and axes, those who craft medical instruments only, though some dabble in all of the above. My father made weapons; he had a lot of customers and employed many workers in his forge. We had a beautiful house very close to Agora. When I was a child I liked to climb onto the roof and watch the sunset over the temple on Kolonos hill to the west of us. Have you ever been to Athens?"

"No," answered Jared preferring to be cautious on the matter.

"Hmm, then you never saw the temple. The area where we lived housed a lot of blacksmiths and potters for a very long time. So, very appropriately, we had our own temple, dedicated to our patron god, Hephaistos. This temple is called Hephaistion."

"I know that," confirmed Jared slowly swirling the cup of wine and watching with fascination the dance of fire sparkles reflected on the smooth surface of the dark liquid.

"Out of several children that my mother bore, only I and my younger sister made it into adulthood. Not surprisingly, my father wanted me to continue in the profession. I worked hard to pick up the trade and my father was very happy with my talents. But soon, disagreements started. I wanted to produce more quality weapons, so each one would be unique and reflect the owner's character and answer his needs and style. Such weapons are expensive and not everybody can afford it. I also wanted to experiment more with new techniques and different ores and additives. But my father didn't want to hear anything about it. He produced weapons on mass scale, one size fits all and as long as the thing was sturdy and enduring, nothing else mattered. He was my father and I still was only an apprentice and he was not about to tolerate me dictating the rules.

We started to quarrel a lot and out of precaution and spite my father married my sister off to a son of another blacksmith who was already an established master himself. He started to threaten me that he was going to disallow me any inheritance and bequest the forge to his son-in-law. I was young and obstinate and took pleasure in flaunting my father's orders. Then, one day, he decided that he wanted to buy another forge from a blacksmith who became too old and sick to handle the business himself and who didn't have anybody to continue his trade. It was a big and important decision and, not surprisingly, he intended to consult the Oracle in Delphi. He left the business in the temporary care of his son-in-law and ordered me to accompany him to Delphi. In hindsight, I think my father had far more respect for my wishes and talents that he ever cared to exhibit and wanted to buy another workshop for me but I never got to test this theory.

I was very angry with my father that he was about to drag me away from Athens. Before that trip I left the city only a few times and each time I got sick. One time I barely survived the ordeal. Each time the physicians checked me but couldn't come up with any plausible explanation. In the end they declared that the air of Athens was vital to my survival and I shouldn't leave her vicinity. My father only scoffed and called them charlatans and fools.

Whatever was the reason, on the second day after we left Athens, I got sick. By the time we got to Delphi I could barely function. My father, taking pity on me, allowed me to pose my own question to Oracle. I was so miserable that I didn't care much about god's opinion on any matter in particular, I just asked how soon I was going to die. When we got our answers, my father was as happy as I was unhappy. We both were wrong. Apollo answered my father's question whether he should acquire the shop of the retiring blacksmith in his usual seemingly crystal clear but deceptive manner. The god said my father shouldn't worry about his business, either existing or the one he was about to acquire."

"What Apollo said to you?" asked Jared quite taken with the story.

Peridemos bitterly laughed, "The god said that if I ever loose the sight of Hephaistion for a long time, I would die."

Then it dawned at Jared, "Apollo didn't mean the temple in Athens in particular…."

"I don't know what Apollo meant! And now I know it even less than ever. After Hephaistion died I was sure I would follow him to the grave shortly, I would never make it back to Athens in time. You saw how I looked when I started this journey. I felt even worse. But a few days on the road, and I got better. Why, I ask you? Why? If Apollo's prophesy was right, there is no reason for it!"

"Maybe there is, you just don't know it," said Jared trying to sound convincing. "And the reason is," thought the actor to himself, "that I am Hephaistion too. Peridemos doesn't know it, but I do and those who play with our lives, gods or whoever they are, know that as well. What if I shouldn't curse their actions so easily? Maybe just as Peridemos can't see that Apollo's prophesy still holds true so I can't see or understand the true purpose of our time travel. Maybe I just have to be patient and …. believe in the goodwill of the gods. Maybe… so be it. I will continue with my plan. I will make Bagoas to fill all those nutshells with beeswax and put a wick inside each one making them into miniature candles, I will go to the caves tomorrow morning alone of the raft and get to that lion statue, then I lit the shells and make them float in the underground river as a tribute to real Hephaistion. It will be a wonderful view and maybe gods will be moved to tears and bring Hephaistion back. Maybe this is what they intended all along. Maybe."

"I am sorry," Jared came back from his reverie, "I got distracted, thinking about things…Please continue, what happened next?"

Peridemos absentmindedly smiled and resumed, "Receiving such a good omen, my father hurried back to Athens, he didn't want me to die after all. Not surprisingly, a few days after coming back I felt better and then my mysterious sickness disappeared again. My father bought the second workshop and I begged him to lend it to me so that I could pursue my own intentions. My father said I was too young and inexperienced, I thought myself ready. We argued. Then I decided that if I can't get what I wanted right away, I better die that live my life waiting for my father to change his mind forever. I always wanted to see new places but never could travel far because my curse followed me everywhere. Since I was going to die, I decided to die the way I wanted, seeing new places.

I run from home and headed to Piraeus, Athens' harbour. There I boarded a ship to Egypt, an exotic country, though I wasn't sure whether I'll make it alive. True enough, after a few days at sea I got sick and after another few I couldn't even leave my berth. Nobody cared much for me and in any case, even if they would, they could do nothing for me. I don't know how many days I was like that, I was told later about two weeks. This was when our own ship run into problems on the rough seas, I think it had something to do with overload. We would surely sink if not by pure luck or maybe design of Moirai; we were spotted by Macedonian supply ships that Alexander dispatched on his way from Tyre to Gaza. Later I was told that some passengers and cargo were allowed onto different ships of Macedonian flotilla and the original ship managed to make it ashore somewhere. One good soul remembered about sick passenger and arranged my transport to the main Macedonian ship where the physician was onboard. I don't remember any of this.

Not surprisingly, the physician checked me and declared he was summoned too late, I won't make it to the next sunrise. However, lo and behold, after few hours I regained consciousness and few days later I was able to walk. With my first meal, I made libations to Poseidon fully convinced that the god of sea was responsible for my miraculous recovery. I didn't forget Asklepious in my prayer either and intentionally ignored his father because he did nothing to cure me and his oracle was wrong. I made a promise to myself never again to invoke Apollo in my pleas, the god was definitely hostile towards me.

My resolution was smitten a couple of hours later when I found out that the commander of the whole flotilla and nominal captain of the ship that gave me shelter was Hephaistion. I laughed so hysterically that I suspect other people thought I gone mad. I asked if I could be introduced to him and he graciously agreed. I started to follow him everywhere on the ship and I never felt better before in my life. A few days before we disembarked at Gaza, I summoned my courage and asked for his attention again. I told him my story and asked if I can join Macedonian army and stay close to him. He chuckled at my request but didn't make laugh of me and allowed me to stay around. There were other blacksmiths in the army and I joined their group. At first they were rather suspicious of my presence but the growing demands of the army and I like to believe my abilities, erased the uneasy feeling rather quickly.

Truth be told, I should have meant nothing to Hephaistion, just a curiosity he picked up in his numerous travels, but it wasn't the case. He made sure I was always stationed nearby and each time he went on assignments away from the main body of the army, he remembered to include me in the group of people who accompanied him. He even went as far as to ask Dinocrates, the famous architect, to sketch Hephaistion, I mean the temple in Athens, for me so that I can keep it always nearby. But for whatever reason, the sketch didn't work; I guess prophecy meant the original and not the image of it. So, if for whatever reason we got separated for more than a few days, I became sick.

At times, I felt insincere that I worried for Hephaistion's well being whenever he went into the battle or simply felt sick. Though I started genially care for the man from the first months of our acquaintance I always chided myself that it was out of self preservation. When I was summoned to his bed just a few days before his death, I remember the cold running down my spine, I saw my own death written all over his sick face. He asked me for a favour, in case he was going to die. I answered grimly that he knew very well that I would be in no position to accomplish any task he would assign me. But he made me swear that I would do what he asked."

"What did he ask?" asked Jared in a trembling voice.

"He said that he was going to die and that when it happens I should seek your company."

"Oh," Jared exhaled softly trying to fight tears that were invading his eyes.

"He didn't explain why, and he also said that the time may come when I wouldn't be able to follow you. Then I should return to Athens and reconcile with my father and live near the temple of Hephaistos for the rest of my life. He asked me not to doubt Apollo's prophecy that I was given in Delphi but not to seek out new ones from any shrines. He said knowing the future doesn't do anybody any good. He said he once asked a very trustworthy oracle about the future and regretted doing it for the rest of his life."

"Was it Oracle of Delphi or Siwah?"

"Neither. I never heard about that Oracle before. I am not even sure whether it's a name of a god or a place, or something else, it's really difficult to pronounce, something very foreign and strange. He mentioned it only once, after the death of Black Kleitos."

"Do you remember the name?"

"Internet."

"What?" Jared jumped to his feet.

"You have heard about it?" asked Peridemos. "Hephaistion forbade me to mention it to anybody. I think the name slipped his tongue by mistake. But I scribbled it on the piece of wood and always carried with me. Just in case I need to find this oracle."

"Internet!" Jared screamed and threw the wine cup into the flames, causing the bonfire flare up at the sudden disturbance. "Those idiots never said anything about it to me!"

"Whom are you talking about?" Peridemos asked taken by surprise by the vehement outburst at the name of some obscure oracle.

"I need to be alone, you better leave me now."

"I'm sorry if I said something that upset you, I didn't mean…"

"Leave me," half shouted half begged Jared and Peridemos wisely decided to obey.

"How can this cursed evening turn from discussing Hephaistion ridiculing Bagoas to finding out that he read about what was going to happen in future on the internet?" fumed Jared. He circled the fire pit shouting anathemas and profanities in all the languages he mustered by now. He kicked the logs and screamed in pain and anger when fire specks landed on his face and hands. Next, dishes and furs went into the fire causing a loud sizzling and even more sparks. Tessander and others run over and tried to calm Jared down but he growled and sent them away with curses and fists swings.

"They let him to use Internet," shouted Jared, though in English, helplessly into the fire that cracked merrily devouring all the things that were fed into it. "Those brainless idiots didn't want him to see the movie but allowed to read the internet! This was a master stroke, really! Look at you, you let him read what was going to happened and then send back to live it? How, how could you do that?

And Hephaistion, no better! Swallowed everything and pretended to be a clam! You could have saved Kleitos, you could have avoided the Gedrosia disaster, you could have prevented Alexander's wound in Malian city! Hell, you could have warned Alexander about the mutiny in India and let him march as far as Japan. You knew Alexander was going to die in Babylon and what did you do? You conveniently died at Ecbatana! You knew you were going to die there and you still went there. Why, I am asking you? Damian and I went at each other throats over whether to tell you or not about your death when you knew all along! And what did you do? You killed Damian!

And you are no better, so called gods or whoever you are! Who asked you to interfere with our lives and send us back and forth between different times? What for? What for, I am asking you?" Jared shouted helplessly into the mute darkness. "That's it! If you are not going to answer, I am not going to play by the book any more. Fuck your stupid rules. I am going back and telling Alexander myself what is going to happen. And if he doesn't listen, too bad, I don't give a damn. I will tell everything to Perdiccas, Leonnatos and even Ptolemy, to anybody who is willing to listen. What you are going to do then? I hope you choke, bastards!"

Jared continued to shout until his throat became so sore that he couldn't utter any sounds anymore. He went to the tent prepared for him, mentally and physically exhausted and devastated. It didn't take him long to fall asleep, this time without counting any marmots or sheep, for that matter.

Next morning, at the grey hours of dawn, he grimly declared they were not going to visit any caves but turn around and head back to Ecbatana. Everybody looked perplexed and rather angry. Most of them didn't care much about missing to see what was inside those caves but now their rather exhausting march and efforts were rendered useless. Ignoring any complains, Jared coldly declared that they have just an hour to have breakfast and break camp. He chewed on some cold leftovers of previous evening meal and, without casting a single glance in the direction of the caves, started helping with chores, silently and sourly.

They departed shortly, the pace of the first leg of their return dictated by the speed of the men carrying the useless raft back to the village. After that settlement was left behind, Jared set an unforgiving temp to their journey covering the distance in three days instead of initial four.

When they arrived at Ecbatana, the darkness already enveloped the city and they were able to reach the palace only due to Artaces' knowledge of the city. Once inside, Jared, without changing or having a moment of rest, rushed to Perdiccas' chambers. He found the general relaxing in the embrace of one of his mistresses.

"Fucking harlots under the hospitable roof of your father-in-law?" Jared didn't bother to hide his foul mood under the veil of any niceties.

"Leave us alone," the general ordered to his companion and threw a garment over his naked body. Then he gave Jared an appraising look and stated coldly, "You returned earlier than anybody expected. Something happened?"

"None of your fucking business," Jared barked. "I am going to see Alexander. Are you coming?"

"How nice of you to show up in the middle of night and spoil the rare moment of peace I have for the first time in last month. No, I am not coming and neither do you."

"I don't need your company, I came here as a courtesy."

"It's very generous of you but unless as some god, you can cover the distance of five parasanges in a few moments, you are not going to talk to Alexander any time soon – he left this morning for Babylon," Perdiccas informed his mid night intruder.

"He left?" Jared didn't expect this development.

"Yes, he couldn't stay cooped in this city any longer. Oxyatres, in his infinite wisdom, mentioned to him a tribe of Cosseans, a very warlike people living in nearby mountains to which most of the previous Great Kings had to pay tribute in order to be allowed the passage through their territory unmolested. You can easily imagine how Alexander took the news about paying the tribute. He promised to root them out once and for all, every single living soul of them. He left me in charge of supervising the embalmment of Hephaistion's body and then bringing his remains to Babylon. He said he was going to explore the area in meantime. I suspect it's going to be one bloody exploration. We are to meet in spring in Babylon. Are you going to stay with me or chase after Alexander?"

The ferocious mood of the king suited Jared better then mellow attitude of Perdiccas. "I am leaving tomorrow morning," he informed the general. "Make sure I have guards who know what route Alexander took."

Jared turned around and was about to leave when he felt Perdiccas' hand resting on his shoulder. "I am willing to close my eyes on your abominable attitude and let all the insults pass, but you have to tell me what's going on."

Jared turned around and bleakly faced the man whom he knew he most probably would have to betray in near future. "There is nothing I can do, Perdiccas. I will never be able to repay my debt to you. I don't know why you put up with me. I doubt I did anything to deserve it. Please, don't ask me any more questions and see you at Babylon."

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PS: I hope I will be able to continue here with this story further. However, if due to the recent cleaning measures it will be taken down, you can follow it on liverjournal website. I write under the same screen name.


	23. Book of Tripolis, Ch 16 Babylon

Title: Alexander Revisited

Disclaimer # 1: I am fully aware that the movie with the same title exists (on DVD); this story was born out of that movie but took a turn to AU where it would reside with no intention of coming into a conflict with the original creation.

Disclaimer # 2: This story is a pure fiction. I don't know the real people involved; anything they do and say in my story has nothing to do with the actual lives of those people.

A/N # 1 - Thank you, my wonderful friends, who read and commented on the chapters that I already posted. My special regards to those who commented for the first time and who added this story to their favorites and story alert. It would be also wonderful to hear the thoughts of those who read the story but didn't voice their opinion yet. Thank you all.

In order to catch with Alexander's army as soon as possible, Jared set up an unrelenting temp for this journey. They were a small group of people, just about hundred and they didn't need to spend as much time to set up and break camps every night as Alexander. The weather worsened though. The cold slanting rain was pouring from the grey sky during day and at nights the temperatures dropped below zero with rain becoming snow. Howling of winds above and hyenas around unsettled both people and horses. Jared was aware how miserable the people around him were but he felt impervious to challenges that weather threw at him. Not because he was in any way better suited to withstand it but because he was so devastated emotionally that he paid no attentions to the aches of his body.

He slept a decent amount of hours during his last night at Ecbatana. Perdiccas was very adamant about it, he said he would incarcerate Laertes and won't allow him to leave the city in the morning if he won't listen. The general promised to get him on the road in the morning and Jared saw no sense to revolt. Perdiccas himself got no sleep; he had to arrange convoy and provisions for the journey. On the grey morning they parted, promising each other to take care and meet in Babylon. Despite vehement protests, Jared left Bagoas in Ecbatana but took Peridemos with him on the road. The eunuch bemoaned the decision but was not given any choice in the matter. He had to stay in Ecbatana and return to Babylon with Perdiccas.

They caught with Alexander late in the evening on the fourth day of their journey. Taken inside king's tent, Jared presented a miserable picture. He was taken close to the fire brazier and forced to get rid of his half frozen cloak. He declined the proposition to change into the dry and warm clothes, afraid that he can fall asleep without seeing Alexander first. The king showed up from behind the temporally curtains that marked the area where he slept. His tent, thought quite big in size, lacked the luxuries that marked his accommodation when the king moved from Susa to Ecbatana. There still was no music or any kind of revelries in the camp and from what Jared saw while being directed to the king's premises, the soldiers and the rest congregated around fires in gloomy silence and Jared was sure it wasn't entirely due to the inclement weather.

"I don't remember inviting you," Jared heard cold and emotionless voice of the king.

"You are right, I came on my own," the actor responded turning to face Alexander.

There was little improvement to the looks of the ruler of the known worlds since their last meeting. There was probably more reservation on the king's face and in his demeanour, but it only underlined the misery of Hephaistion's loss.

Alexander waived everybody to leave them alone but didn't invite Jared inside his improvised bedroom.

"I said I didn't want to see you anymore," bleakly stated the king when he and Jared were left alone.

"Yes, you said so, but I made certain promises and I can't break them even if it means I have to incur your anger."

"So, what do you want now?"

"I want… nothing. I'm just going to try to make your life a little less miserable."

"Short of bringing Hephaistion back I don't see how you can achieve your goal. Can you do that?"

"Of course I can't," Jared whispered, "if I could influence what happens, Hephaistion would be still alive. We thought we could…we gave it a try… such a waste."

Alexander hesitated. He still couldn't get over the fact that Jared and Damian knew about Hephaistion's death and allowed it to happen. Of course he and Hephaistion discussed the sudden return of Jared after so many years; they tried to figure why the actor didn't return immediately after being presented with the new set of stones. The explanation that they were given didn't satisfy them entirely but Alexander thought they still have time to discuss it and reveal the real reason. Hephaistion, on the other hand, knew that he had very little time left and concentrated more on keeping Jared alive, so that he can provide some company to Alexander after his own death.

"So, you did try to save Hephaistion? How?"

Jared started to retell his and Damian's efforts. His speech was quick, hurried; he jumped from one theory to another, from one suspect to the next. When he started to loose track and repeat himself, Alexander suddenly realized the poor physical condition in which the actor was. Still listening to the tale, he guided Jared to his own bedroom and brought dry clothes. He helped Jared to change and tacked him into his own bed asking the page to bring a hot honeyed wine and additional cot that can be placed alongside his own. Jared drifted into the sleep, warmed by the thought that king accepted him back and that there was some chance that the things would brighten a little.

Jared remained at the king's side from now on. There wasn't much time to interact except in the evenings. He had brief encounters with Leonnatos and Ptolemy on the road but mostly he saw them in the company of the king. When they at last reached Cosseans' territory, Alexander didn't send them offers of surrender as usual. The king didn't bother to chase the smallish groups of brigands who tried to lure the army away from the main road. But the villages and meagre habitats that had the misfortune of being situated in the vicinity of the main road had to suffer the full might of Alexander's power. The dwellings were destroyed and those inhabitants who didn't have time to escape were annihilated without mercy.

The Macedonian contingents of the army didn't care much about the barbarians and the Persian troops, newly incorporated into Alexander's army, had little compassion for the mountainous tribe with the reputation of robbers. Jared didn't interfere. He knew he could do nothing to stop the slaughter. He argued with himself the morality of his choice, not to rebuke Alexander for the mindless slaughter of Cosseans; he wondered if in future the knowledge that he didn't try to stop killings of the innocent people so that Alexander can sooth his grief will haunt him mercilessly.

"Is it a permissible excuse that I know for sure that no degree of my protest will change king's intentions?" moodily thought Jared watching Alexander cleaning the dry blood from his face and hands and discarding of blood stained clothes. "Should I express my revulsion and condemnation of his actions and face the banishment from his presence for ever, till his very end? At least then I'll have an excuse of not saving his life. I am looking for the excuses… it is so pathetic. I want to use these people's misfortune as justification of my own failures. It is a loose-loose situation and I know it. What Hephaistion would do? Of course, he wouldn't have any qualms about killing innocent people only to make Alexander to feel better. Or would he? And how can I compare the notions of right and wrong of my own time and that of Alexander?

Maybe time travel isn't impossible at all as everybody presumed till now; just the wise universe knows that some things are not supposed to be brought together into the mix. Just like "Jurassic park" movie proves that dinosaurs and humans belong to different eras so do the morals and laws of the people separated by thousands years. But somebody disregarded the nature of things and now I face the choices that I can't make."

x

"Do you feel any better now?" asked Jared the king one evening when they shared the meal. The actor knew it was a coward's way out; they mostly left Cosseans' territory and destroyed villages and thousands of dead were left behind.

"What do you mean?" asked Alexander.

"In our history books it is said that you annihilated Cosseans only for the purpose of emulating Achilles when he killed Trojan's young men on the grave of Patroclus."

"Are those the same history books that declared Hephaistion being of Athenian origin?"

"I am surprised you remember so much from our first encounter. Yes, those are pretty much the same books."

"And who wrote them and when?"

"The first books that came to us were written some three centuries after your death. The authors wrote that they based their stories on the memoirs of the people who knew you personally but unfortunately, they didn't mention any names," lied Jared. It was a little more than the month since he left Ecbatana and rejoined Alexander's army. He calmed somewhat since then and couldn't bring himself to reveal to Alexander anything that was going to happen in near future.

"So, why did they write that Hephaistion was Athenian? I still don't understand."

"Mostly because of his father's name – Amyntor. If he would be of pure Macedonian origin, his name would be Amyntas. Isn't it so?"

"Hephaistion had no southern blood or relations. His father's Greek name, it's because of special circumstances. Same as his own name. It has nothing to do with Athens."

"Why then? I never had a chance to ask him in person. Will you tell me?"

"Of course." Alexander agreed. Every day the king looked forward to the nightly conversations with Jared about Hephaistion. He knew that the actor's interest was sincere and it was far more soothing to discuss his beloved with Jared than with anybody else.

"Hephaistion's grandmother Philata was married to Amyntas, a Macedonian nobleman and companion of the king Amyntas, who was my grandfather. I hope you won't get confused with all the Amyntas in this story. There are a lot. Philata herself was of Illyrian origin, a daughter of the local baron. Their village was destroyed by Macedonian brigands who roamed the country after the death of Macedonian king Archelaus. Philata was Amyntas' share of pillage but it was a love from the first glance for both of them. Amyntas married Philata and brought her to his stronghold as a lawful wife. A couple of years later Amyntas' stronghold was destroyed by Illyrians and he only survived because of his wife family connections.

In the civil war that followed King Archelaus' death and lasted some ten year, Amyntas threw his lot with young Amyntas who was a son of another Macedonian nobleman Arrhidaeus. When Amyntas, my grandfather, became the king of Macedon, his namesake Amyntas was high in favour and the king trusted him by including in the inner circle and showing many favours. Those favours often included leading troops and defending the boundaries of the Macedon against external and internal enemies. In one of such encounters Amyntas was killed. By that time Philata became a close friend and confidant of my grandmother Eurydice, King Amyntas wife. Philata was still young and of child bearing age though she and Amyntas didn't have any children. My grandfather wanted to marry her off to one of his councillors, Meleagros.

Philata first refused because she still couldn't get over the death of her husband with whom she was so much in love. However, after some persuasions from both Eurydice and Amyntas she agreed because the alternative was to go back to Illyria to her aged father who also wanted to marry her off to one of his fellow tribesmen. Meleagros didn't care much for her as a wife, he already had some five children from his previous marriage and there was always somebody to warm his bed. He was more interested to marry her in order to acquire additional wealth and status with the king. However, a couple of years into the marriage, Philata became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Philata still was very much in love with her first husband and wanted to keep his memory alive by giving his name to her son. The problem was that Meleagros already had a son named Amyntas and refused to give the same name to another son, though he was from the second wife. Philata would have to submit to her husband's will but she wrote to Eurydice imploring to interfere. Long story short, the matter was brought to my grandfather's attention. He still remembered his trustworthy general and wanted to keep his memory alive. This was how he came up with the idea to give a boy a Greek equivalent of the Macedonian name – Amyntor instead of Amyntas. Everyone was happy at the time."

"This is incredible," all Jared could say when he listened to the end of the story. "Nobody would ever think about such explanation. It is at the same time simple and complicated. But why did you say "everybody was happy at the time"? Did something bad happen later?"

"Not right away. Though Amyntor was the youngest son and would normally not inherit much, due to the special marriage arrangement of his mother, upon her death he got her inheritance and that of her first husband, Amyntas, after whom he was named. His real father and his brothers had little love for him, the former because he was a constant reminder that his wife never forgot her first husband and the latter because Amyntas' inheritance was far more significant then their own, even combined together. But Amyntor didn't care much for the lack of love of his father and other siblings. First, he had his mothers love and then he was brought together with Perdiccas, second son of King Amyntas.

After the death of my grandfather King Amyntas, who died at the rather advanced age, his eldest son Alexander became the king. But he didn't rule long, he was killed by his own brother-in-law Ptolemy of Aloros. Some say my own grandmother, Eurydice, when her husband was still alive, conspired with Ptolemy to kill her husband because she fell in love with Ptolemy and wanted to marry him and make him a king. I think it was just an empty rumour, Ptolemy was married to her own daughter and was some fifteen years younger than her. Besides, with three lawful heirs to the throne, Ptolemy didn't have a lot of chances. Anyway, he managed to kill my oldest uncle and became a regent to the rest. But when my second uncle, Perdiccas, grew older, he killed Ptolemy. Hephaistion's grandfather, Amyntor, was a very close friend of the new king.

However, a couple of years later, Perdiccas was killed in the attempt to reconquer the Upper Macedonia from the Illyrian king Bardylis and Amyntor gave his allegiance to my father, bypassing Perdiccas' son Amyntas who was around seven years old at the time. He never explained his actions to Hephaistion beyond the fact that Macedonia needed a grown up king and not a boy. Who knows, maybe it was the only reason. Amyntor was already married and had children by the time when my father ascended the throne. It was the first summer of my father's rule and it was scourging hot. Amyntor was in Pella when the fire devastated his estate. His wife, his two sons, daughter and several others perished in one day in those flames. Some suspected that Amyntor's half brothers set the fire. Unlike Hephaistion's father, they took the side of the young Amyntas, son of king Perdiccas and not only lost the most of their possessions but unlike king's own nephew, were expelled from Macedon.

Amyntor was devastated at the loss of his family but life went on and he remarried after a couple of years. He had a lovely son by the name of Alexander but unfortunately Amyntor's second wife died giving birth to that boy. Amyntor doted on his son and had a lot of servants to go with him everywhere. The boy had a very independent character and had a knack for escaping his nurses even when he was a toddler. One day, when Alexander was around six years old, he decided that he was going to forge himself a real sword because he thought that the wooden one was too childish for him. At least this is how the tragic accident of his death was explained. He escaped his tutors and sneaked into the forge that was on the premises of Amyntor's stronghold. Nobody knows what happened for sure but result was all the same. The boys' clothes caught fire and though the accident was noticed in time by the apprentice who manned the forge, the damage that Alexander suffered as a result was too much. He died shortly after, his last days filled with agony of pain that nobody could lessen.

As you understand, Amyntor, loosing four children and one wife to the flames and another one to childbirth, was in no hurry to marry again. He thought himself cursed. But Philip, my father, insisted and even arranged for another bride from a very noble family. Hephaistion was actually borne in Pella, Amyntor refused to leave his pregnant wife alone in fear that something bad might happen. It was end of the summer and the day was so hot that the old people say they didn't remember such a hot day during all their long time. The midwives said it was a very difficult labour and though Hephaistion himself was born a healthy boy his mother caught a high fever and succumbed to it a few days later. Amyntor was horrified that something awful was going to happen to his new son and looked for the appropriate name for a boy. It was my mother that suggested Hephaistion."

"Really?" asked Jared with surprise.

"Yes, my father just recently married her and was madly in love. He allowed her a lot of freedom and listened to her opinion in many cases, at least in private. My mother and Hephaistion's became companions for a short time and when Hephaistion's mother died she suggested naming a boy Hephaistion, in order to appease the god of fire, Hephaestus. She later said that the idea came to her when she was thinking about her own future son and how she wanted her own son to become another Achilles. As you know, Achilles mother, the goddess Thetis, tried to make Achilles immortal by anointing him in ambrosia and putting on top of fire, to burn away the mortal parts of his body."

"Wow, this is incredible," Jared said in wonder. "Such a pity that nobody thought to mentioned it in their writings. I presume it's not a secret or something?"

"No, it's not a secret," Alexander sadly smiled. "I almost forgot it myself. There are so many stories to tell. I wonder if I would have time."

"Of course you will," more cheerfully than it was appropriate assured Jared, "We can talk every day till we got to Babylon. Then, I will help you to prepare the funeral pyre for Hephaistion. It will be the most magnificent last rites ever."

"You don't need to make me feel better by saying that."

"But I am not," insisted Jared, "it is the truth; the description of that funeral pyre was recounted in the memories of the people who wrote about you. It is considered the most expensive and the most impressive funerals in the human history."

"I wish I didn't have reason for that!" vehemently said Alexander. He leaned closer to Jared and grasped his both wrist in the imploring but rather painful gesture, "are you sure you can't do nothing to bring him back? Are you sure? Did you try everything?"

Jared lowered his head in an effort to avoid Alexander's burning glance; what could he say to the king? "All I could do was to try to prevent his death," he almost pleaded, "When I failed, there was nothing I could do, nothing I knew how to do. Now I only can to try and avert yours."

Alexander bitterly laughed, "Don't be stupid. It's a futile exercise. In any case, I don't want you to succeed."

"Hephaistion would want…."

"Well," Alexander pursed his lips, "He is not here to argue."

"Alexander!" Jared reproached the king.

"What?"

"You can't say such a thing! Besides, you are a king, you have your responsibilities, to Macedon, to the empire you conquered, to your generals, to the son to be born, to the future generations."

"It's a long list, I can't accommodate all of them, I did enough in my lifetime."

"And you can do more. Hephaistion would want you to. He wouldn't want you to surrender to the circumstances. It's not in your nature. Please, Alexander, listen to me!"

"It's time to go to sleep," Alexander withdrew his hands from Jared's wrists, "I don't want to discuss this any more. I have my own opinion and I am used to getting my way. You will never understand. Nor anybody else."

Since that conversation, Alexander started to avoid Jared. Night after night, under the excuse of either being busy or tired, the king avoided actor's company. That was the state of affairs when they arrived at Babylon in the end of January. Perdiccas didn't arrive yet and wasn't expected for the next month or so. In the Babylon they were greeted by Nearchus and Mazeus, each of them visibly upset by Hephaistion's death. Alexander inspected the progress of Hephaistion's pyre construction and visited it almost daily while he stayed in Babylon. Then undertook a short journey down Euphrates River and established there another Alexandria, the last one in his lifetime.

The arrival of Perdiccas with Hephaistion's embalmed body to Babylon coincided with the arrival of the embassy from Siwah that brought to the grieving king permission to honour Hephaistion as a divine hero. Siwah's embassy was joined by the messengers from Cleomenes whom Alexander appointed nomarch of Egypt. The wily Greek sent to the king blueprints of Hephaistion's temple that he planned to erect on the island of Pharos. It was one of those now rare nights when Alexander was in a mood to share his time and stories with Jared. He showed the actor plans of the future temple and asked if the temple made it to the future. From his previous conversation with Jared the king knew that the city the established in Egypt would prosper through the ages and still was very much alive at Jared's time.

"The temple didn't survive," sadly advised Jared, "but we know from the sources that it existed and occupied the big part of the island. What is this structure here?" Jared pointed to another place on the map of the island that looked like some sort of construction.

"Cleomenes suggested building a lighthouse, the tallest in the world to commemorate the memory of Hephaistion. He hinted that it would symbolize what Hephaistion meant to me, the torch in the dark night, and the safe harbour in the storm of life. I doubt that he would have enough time or desire to do it after my death."

"The Lighthouse of Alexandria!" exclaimed Jared shocked by revelation.

"So he built it?" asked king with surprise.

"Not him. Somebody else stole the idea. They of course didn't mention Hephaistion at all. It became one of the Seven Wonders of the World."

"Seven Wonders of the World?"

"Yes," nodded Jared. "I don't remember when exactly it happened, but somebody came up with the idea to select seven (because I think it's considered a lucky and even sacred number) most astonishing structures made by human hands. The Lighthouse of Alexandria on the island of Pharos was one of them."

"What are the others?" asked Alexander with interest.

"Another six are the Pyramids of Giza, you might have seen them when you were in Egypt; the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, we can look at them from the windows of your palace; the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, that was burned down by Herostratos on the day of your birth or so the legend goes; the statue of Zeus in Olympia; the Colossus of Rhodes, I think this one was also built after your death and the tomb of king Mausolus at Halycarnases, the resting place of the famous Persian satrap, you must have seen it as well."

"So, did any of these Wonders survive till your time?"

"Just one, the Pyramids of Giza. I think both Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse were destroyed by the earthquake, but I am not sure, the rest crumbled with time and were robbed. But I don't remember more details, sorry. I had so many things to learn and memorize before this trip, I couldn't handle it all."

"Well, I guess you didn't have to learn it all, wasn't your friend Damian a historian of my time? He surely knew these things by heart."

"He wasn't a historian," Jared admitted.

"He wasn't?" asked surprised Alexander. "Why then you told us he was?"

"We weren't sure how you would take the truth."

"The truth being…..?"

Jared sighed. "He was an exceptional physician, surgeon as well. We thought meeting him was a special gift, help if you will, from the gods. We hoped he would figure out why Hephaistion," Jared briefly stopped, but then continued, realizing there was no point to beat about the bushes, "and you died. We hoped he could save you."

"But I don't understand,' Alexander said, puzzled, "why you had to invent the whole historian thing?"

Jared tried to explain their reasoning, their fear that telling the truth might bring some unexpected results.

Alexander seemed visibly upset. "I don't understand your logic, Jared. Do you realize that you only complicated the things? Maybe even made the situation worse? You should have told us the truth, both about who Damian was and the true purpose of your visit."

"Ah, everybody is clever in the hindsight. Are you saying that when we showed up at Susa, if we have told you both the true purpose of our visit, Hephaistion would have been still alive?"

"Maybe," gloomily mumbled Alexander.

"Or maybe not," suddenly Jared was convinced that their decision was a correct one, despite the sad results it produced. "Just imagine that the last months of Hephaistion's life were marred by the knowledge of his impeding death. Would you want that for him?"

Alexander silently shook his head in denial but Jared sadly thought that it was truth anyway, Hephaistion knew he was going to die. The only one who was spared the knowledge was Alexander.

"I am sorry," said the actor, distressed that the conversation took such a turn. "I didn't want to upset you. How about…." Jared contemplated a few topics that he knew would somewhat cheer Alexander up, "I draw you a whole map of the modern world? Do you want to see how big it is?"

Alexander's eyes flashed with excitement briefly but then the fire was gone. "Sorry, maybe next time. I still have to meet with Mazeus and Perdiccas about tomorrow banquet. If not for vitnessing the last triumph of Hephaistion's clever politics, I would find some excuse of not being present at it."

"What do you mean by last triumph?"

"Cassander arrived. It doesn't matter, though. I don't care about his plotting anymore."

"Cassander….." Jared dragged the name with disgust. He almost forgot about this personage of Alexander's time. Unlike in the movie, he had a little known part in what was going on in Alexander's life until the very end. "I've heard he was a real coward. Historians are surprised that he had the balls to show up at your court instead of his father."

"No balls, and no brains either. Got himself duped by Hephaistion and Antipater."

"By Hephaistion and Antipater? I am not sure I follow."

"I guess it means nobody found out in the end," Alexander shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I'll treat you to a short version. Antipater, well, I may suspect him of many things but I know he cares about Macedon. In his youth, before my father consolidated power and pulled Macedon together, they both saw how much damage the constant internal wars caused. Athens may accuse us of being despots, but I don't see how perpetually quarrelling democratic city states are any better. Any country must have a central power and city states will never unite and agree with each other on anything. The fact was not missed by Persians. If you allow each family to sit on the top of their hill and gain power by robbing the neighbours, we all descend into chaos. This is what Cassander and others like him want. To have power for themselves and screw the others.

Anyway, Antipater strongly believed his eldest son was conspiring behind his back and he had no desire to end up like Parmenion. So, he asked me to take him off his hands. He had many other sons after all. But nobody wanted Cassander suspect anything because he and his father are not on the best terms, though officially, for the sake of appearances, they are tight. Antipater worried that if I order Cassander to leave Macedon and come to my court, he might guess it was a trap and disappear. The trick was to get him here without raising any suspicions."

"Antipater's other sons are here, you don't think brothers are plotting together?" asked Jared remembering the rumours that Iollas, Cassander's younger brother who was Alexander's cupbearer, slipped something in Alexander's cup on that fateful party in Babylon when Alexander collapsed.

"May be they are, may be not. There are a lot of people to plot with. However, it always advisable to keep your enemies around you so you can watch them and quickly dispose of, if necessary. Anyway, despite of being at odds with his father, he publicly professed their amicable friendship and regard. So, Hephaistion suggested spreading some rumours that Alexander suspected Antipater in plotting against him and then summon the regent to Babylon. Sending Krateros to amass troops before invasion into Arabia was also used as excuse to suggest that Krateros was supposed to substitute Antipater as a new regent of Macedon. Though, Hephaistion doubted that anybody would buy that lame excuse but I think he sometimes forgot that not everybody was as clever as him."

"Why the excuse was lame?"

"Think about it, Jared. Before invading a new country I was sending away my best infantry general. The general, who wasn't known for his political shrewdness was going to take place of the regent who had years of experience in playing games of the court! What does it says about me as a king?"

"Eh, I never thought about it from this perspective and, I have to admit, as far as I know neither did others. It was assumed that Krateros represented the older generation who opposed your policy of bringing different nations together. By sending Krateros back to Macedon, together with veterans who shared his views, you sent away all the possible malcontents and also cleared way for younger generation."

"Figures," Alexander scowled. "Complete nonsense. It means I sent all the dissidents to plot comfortably away in Macedonia. Besides, what I was going to do with Antipater here? Kill him? Leaving Cassander in Macedonia? What kind of politics is this? In reality, we followed Hephaistion's plan, which Antipater quite liked, by the way. The regent pretended to fear for his life if he goes to Babylon as my letter expressly demanded. My mother also played her assigned role quite well. At the appropriate moment, she gleefully commented that at last her son listened to her complains and was going to deal with Antipater as he deserved. After some role playing, Antipater begged Cassander to go instead of him to Babylon, professing that the king was of rather high opinion about him and would listen to his pleas about his father innocence. Cassander couldn't possibly refuse. His reputation would suffer as a result.

So, here he is, arrived a couple of days ago. A pompous fool already made a lot of enemies. Even his brothers are not so fond of his company. I didn't see him yet. If Hephaistion had been alive, he would enjoy the spectacle and I would with him."

"Hmm," mused Jared remembering what was going to happen. "I am not sure if I can leave up to my name, I mean Hephaistion's name, but I am an actor after all and can provide some entertainment. If you don't mind, of course."

Alexander frowned, "I don't care."

Despite rather unenthusiastic answer from the king, Jared decided that a little spectacle won't hurt and it will be his own tribute to Hephaistion. True, the real Hephaistion didn't suffer from Cassander's outbursts like the movie implied, only maybe in Mieza, if they were there together, but still, he wanted his own revenge. He went to his rooms and called Bagoas. The eunuch was tremendously happy to be back in Babylon and trying to get into his master good books, bent backwards trying to anticipate and fulfil Jared's every wish. Now, he was just a person for the job.

x

Standing behind the column, Jared silently watched the scene that played before his eyes. The timing of his arrival to the banquet couldn't have been better. Cassander just managed to insult the highest ranking generals and officials of Alexander's court and received an earful from the exasperated king. Jared remembered how in the movie Oliver transferred the scene from Babylon to Bactria and timed it to the Alexander's marriage to Roxana. The actor almost expected Cassander to shout, "Alexander, be reasonable!" but it didn't happen. Instead, he derisively scorned his fellow Macedonians for adopting Persian's dress code and forgetting all about the purity of the Greek culture and superiority.

Just as in the movie, Alexander, not in a mood for listening to the criticism of his policies, lunged at Cassander and, almost strangling him at the throat, banged his head against the wall. He would probably finish him if not for Leonnatus, who, waiving for some additional help to the bodyguards, managed to drag Alexander away. The king cursed but let Cassander go. Antipater's son, shaking from the experience, was about to leave the banquet, when Alexander in a deadly cold voice ordered him to return to his assigned place and stay there until he said otherwise.

This was the moment when Jared decided to make his presence known. He pushed away from the column and at leisure pace strolled to the epicentre of the events. For this occasion he was wearing a dark blue chiton that was a perfect match to the color of his eyes and a lighter blue cloak hold on his shoulder by the fibula of some complicated design. Instead of grieves or bracelets, he wore elbow high dark blue gloves laced from his wrists up and cut at the knuckles so that he could display his manicured and painted nails. The colour was navy blue and boasted a tiny golden specks of Vergina Star in the middle. Instead of sandals he wore one of his signature boots, also dark blue, and rather high heeled and pointy, cowboy style complete with spurs.

He saw an empty couch, perfectly situated apposite Cassander and placed head to head with another couch occupied by Nearchus. On the way, he dispersed smiles and friendly greetings and, giving Cassander a glance that was a perfect mix of idle curiosity and disdain, gracefully lowered himself on the couch clicking his fingers for a cup of vine.

"Who is the moron?" with a very little interest in his voice Jared asked Nearchus loud enough for his intended victim to hear.

The admiral, never one to miss an opportunity to humiliate those he didn't like, promptly supplied the answer, "This is Cassander, son of Antipater. He just arrived from Macedon and hasn't yet had a chance to familiarize himself with his new surroundings. I guess you never met."

"Nah," said Jared pretending he was savouring the wine and not in a hurry to make an acquaintance. "Why he is sitting on the couch? Didn't he yet earn the right to recline?"

Cassander, still red from the humiliation he just experienced from the king in front of the whole assembly of the guests, bolted from his seat, ready to punch the unknown offender into his ungodly beautiful face.

"Hold your horses!" Jared advised and shot his leg forward impeding Cassander's progress. The heel of Jared's boot collided with Cassander's knee and he screamed in pain and outrage.

"My king!" despite the recent incident Antipater's son protested loudly. "This is completely unacceptable."

"You should consider yourself lucky he didn't aim higher," a tiny smile touched Alexander's lips. "If Philotas would be still alive, he could have attested it's quite a painful experience."

The loud bursts of laughter from those who witnessed the incident back in Siwah and those who heard of it afterwards did nothing to make Cassander feel better. He was standing before Jared, too humiliated to think about any kind of revenge or retaliation, and thus exposed himself to the further bout of Jared's viciousness.

"Before criticizing how the others dress, you should look at your own reflection in some pond. Greek clothes or not, the scarecrow in a field looks more elegant than you. Iollas and Philip must be ashamed to have you for a brother. But maybe I am mistaken about the gifts that the Olympians bestowed on you and you keep your real treasure hidden." With those words Jared threw away one of his boots and, grabbing the hemline of Cassander's tunic between his big toe and the next one, pulled it down with all the force he could master.

There was a loud sound of material tearing up and Cassander had to grab his chiton at the breast level in order not to loose his attire. Enraged beyond ability to think straightforward, he launched at Jared who was obviously anticipating such an outburst. He put his other leg across and Cassander, his hands busy with supporting his outfit, stumbled and, taking with him a nearby side table, crashed on the floor.

There was no mercy for the man that nobody liked. The poor guy scrambled back to his feet under the openly derisive laughter of his peers. The veins on his neck and forehead were bulging in powerless anger, lips trembling in the threats he wanted but couldn't pronounce and quivering fingers of his hands desperately tried to hold together the remains of his clothes that had the mind of their own and went in different directions.

"I didn't mean to ruin your outfit," with pretended remorse, not believed by anybody in the vicinity, announced Jared. "Let me make it right." He waved his hand summoning Bagoas who was waiting for the signal. The eunuch, gracefully navigating between couches and people, presented his master with a pile of clothes.

"Let me see," Jared took the first garment from the top. It was a black lacy chemise on thin shoulder straps made definitely for a woman.

"I think it's your size," pensively pondered Jared.


	24. Book of Tripolis, Ch 17 Babylon

Title: Alexander Revisited

Disclaimer # 1: I am fully aware that the movie with the same title exists (on DVD); this story was born out of that movie but took a turn to AU where it would reside with no intention of coming into a conflict with the original creation.

Disclaimer # 2: This story is a pure fiction. I don't know the real people involved; anything they do and say in my story has nothing to do with the actual lives of those people.

A/N # 1 - Thank you, my wonderful friends, who read and commented on the chapters that I already posted. My special regards to those who commented for the first time and who added this story to their favorites and story alert. It would be also wonderful to hear the thoughts of those who read the story but didn't voice their opinion yet. Thank you all.

The escapade with Cassander was the first occasion when Jared could see a genuine smile touched Alexander's lips. The next day, however, when Jared went to visit Alexander, he found Nearchus in the king's antechamber pacing frustratingly to and fro the premises. Nervous pages were trying to make themselves invisible not to incur the anger of the Admiral.

"Don't bother," growled out his friend, "the King doesn't wish to see anybody. After your spectacle yesterday I even wanted to suggest that we invite Cassander every day and let you humiliate him so that Alexander would lighten up a little."

"The day is still young," Jared tried to cheer up his friend, "I am sure Alexander will have time to see you today. I've heard you're leaving soon."

"Yes, in less then two months. I have my orders and know what to do but there are still many things that need Alexander's approval. The coordination between the different units of the army is essential or we'll have another Gedrosia disaster on our hands. Alexander is supreme commander of the whole army and people like Perdiccas, Ptolemy, Leonnatos and others won't listen to each other, only to Alexander. We maybe friends in free time but business is business and everyone wants to get to the very top, especially now, that Hephaistion is dead. Everybody wants to become the next Chiliarch of the empire."

"Including you."

"Of course including me," without a shred of hesitation confirmed Nearchus, "why not?"

"I am not saying that you are less qualified than others but don't you think that Hephaistion was more then a Chiliarch?"

The Admiral shrugged his shoulders, "Alexander has to get used to the idea of not having Hephaistion around but he refuses to let it go. We all lose dear ones, this is life. Hephaistion could have been killed in any of the battles or skirmishes, he could have died in India or Gedrosia. Alexander disrespects and challenges the gods when he refuses to accept the fact."

"Orpheus went to Hades trying to bring Eurydice back, so strong was his love."

"And look how it ended," Nearchus shook his head as if disagreeing with the poet's decision, "he was given a false hope, screwed up in the last moment and allowed himself to be torn apart by mad women. Unfortunately Alexander's current behaviour reminds me too much that of Orpheus when he came back after his failed attempt to bring Eurydice back – he gave up. Alexander can't do that, he has no right!"

"Why? Because his beloved generals aren't sated enough with all the conquests, treasures, power and glory?"

"Don't be absurd, Laertes!"

The sincerity of Admiral's exclamation upset Jared even more. It would be far easier for him to regard King's close entourage as a pack of heartless wolves than as a circle of close knit friends who cared for Alexander and each other. Jared realized that somehow those people were able to distinguish between their ambition for reaching the very top and their long established friendships. How did it all change so quickly after Alexander's death? Or was it possible that so many of Alexander's close friends lost their lives in the first years after the king's death because they died inside, because they no more could overcome Alexander's death then the king Hephaistion's?

"And you," continued Nearchus, "I've heard you didn't visit Hephaistion's remains since Perdiccas' returned to Babylon. Why is that?"

Jared turned away from Admiral and tried to concentrate on the intricate decorations of the wall. He really didn't have the strength to discuss this topic with Nearchus, or anybody else for that matter.

"I wish you luck meeting with the king," he said to his friend after a few minutes of silence and left the room. He heard Nearchus sigh loudly behind his back; Jared didn't want to think about the reason, it was all too heartbreaking.

Never before in his life had Jared remembered the time dragging with so excruciatingly slow speed. If he had a watch on his wrist or a Blackberry in his pocket, he would be checking time every few minutes. Regardless of how he tried to occupy himself he felt in some sort of limbo of time standing still and normal life passing him by. Sometimes he thought he convinced himself he lived in a time frozen bubble because the future hold the inevitable death of Alexander which he either couldn't or wouldn't prevent. He wasn't sure which one was more correct.

He remembered how in the past he often smirked at the stupidity of the scenes in disaster movies when the heroes we shown frozen on the spot staring at the imminent danger instead of trying to escape it. Now he found himself in the similar situation only it didn't last for a moment or even minutes, it dragged for days and the forthcoming catastrophe stayed clear before his eyes – dead Alexander and his best friends cutting each other throats for any pieces of power they could grab.

When his thoughts accidentally wandered into the days in Ecbatana and he imagined how Hephaistion felt knowing that he was going to die, Jared shut his eyes closed squeezing his lids as tightly as it was necessary for the pain to chase away any thoughts from his troubled mind. Once he contemplated to leave Babylon for Siwah and return back without witnessing Alexander's death but he quickly rejected the idea. With horror he realized that he almost wanted Alexander to die so that he, Jared, could at least find some piece of mind knowing that now, for sure, there was nothing he could do.

Trying to make the time pass more quickly and empty his mind of any thoughts, he looked for the company of the people he came to know. But somehow it didn't work. Those with who he was most close had the worries of their own and they plunged Jared into even more depressing mood of inevitable disaster. Those with who he wasn't on the first name basis, so to speak, managed to turn their conversation to Hephaistion, Alexander and how the king suffered without his long time friend and lover and how he wasn't able to put the sad fact behind him.

Even Bagoas, who by now completely abandoned his idea to seduce Jared and seemingly happy settled into the role of Jared's surrogate dotting mother, was unable to come up with any topic of conversation that didn't include either Alexander or Hephaistion. It seemed surreal when the eunuch, winning long time ago the battle of proving that massage was the best way of curing any ailment, started to reminiscent in a very dreamy voice on the memories of his interaction with Hephaistion. As if telling a lullaby story, Bagoas gave one example after another about the unmatched qualities of the former Chiliarch in the fields of diplomacy, organization, fighting skills and his positive influence on Alexander.

Visit to Queen Roxana, instead of soothing conversation about the babies, turned into her recollection of how she met Hephaistion for the first time and how he managed to charm her with his impeccable manners and friendly attitude. Jared tried to use his visit to probe her possible relationship with Perdiccas but each time he dropped his friend's name in conversation, Roxana either didn't pay attention or stared at him at puzzlement not understanding why general's name was mentioned at all. When Sophonisba, Queen's lady-in-waiting sent by Olympia, politely joined the conversation describing her Epyrote mistress pain and sadness at Hephaistion's death expressed in the letter she sent, Jared decided that he had enough.

During his first days in Babylon, he paid an official visit to Drypetis to express his condolences, but he found the princess too distressed to sustain any sort of conversation. Frada, Hephaistion's eunuch, now serving his former master's widow, looked pale, aged and void of life. He didn't bother to hide his newly acquired strands of white hair with henna or sharp lines of wrinkles with some powders. Yet, several times during his short visit, Jared thought he noticed quick flashes of anger that tinged otherwise blank eyes of the eunuch with some dangerous glare. In the end, Frada asked Jared to let the princess be and allow her to mourn the death of her husband in private. Drypetis' too deep mourning for the husband she hardly knew and Frada's too obvious concern for the princess of Achemenid house who brought the death to his uncle seemed somewhat strange to Jared. For several days after the visit he contemplated the possibility that Hephaistion's death was a result of his wife's intrigues, his eunuch revenge or the combination of both but then he chased the idea away as being absurd. In any case as days went by, he could find neither reason nor desire to repeat the visit.

He tried to distract himself by exploring Babylon but got annoyed at the train of guards and servants who inevitably trailed at his footsteps.

"King's orders," politely informed him Theocles, former Hephaistion's page who was now permanently installed in his household.

The splendour of Babylon, the city admired by so many throughout the history, couldn't wake any emotions in him. Somewhere at the back of his mind he realized that he was given a chance so many would kill for, but he couldn't erase from his mind the circumstance under which he made his explorations. He stared blankly at the splendour of Ishtar Gate and Procession Street. He tried to impose the cheerfulness of atmosphere shown in the movie in the scenes of Alexander's triumphant entrance into the Babylon onto the actual location but failed miserably. He wandered aimlessly at the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, visited Ishtar temple and Esagila, the temple dedicated to Marduk, the god-protector of Babylon. The temple, being the center of the city during the rule of Nebuchadnezzar II was desecrated and partially destroyed by Xerxes (Athens was not the only city that suffered from that king). Alexander, during his first visit to Babylon, ordered the restoration of the temple and Mazeus followed his new master's orders rather devotedly.

Jared briefly marvelled at how often historians of different ages rebuked Alexander for destruction of Persepolis and how rarely praised him for ordering the restoration of other, no less historically significant monuments and buildings.

Sometimes he would cross Euphrates by the wonderful stone bridge and go to the Ea's temple in the eastern, Kumar district of the city. From the top of the temple Jared could see almost the whole city. It wasn't the highest point but there was an unobstructed view of the river, palace and the Hanging Gardens. Sometimes he would steal a glance at the funeral pyre of Hephaistion being constructed almost in the middle of the city where, according to the legend, once stood the Tower of Babel.

On one of such days in the end of April when the birds cheerfully chirped in the air and atmosphere of the city wasn't yet hotly stale from the scourging rays of the sun, he was surprised by Perdiccas, who unexpectedly joined him on the roof of the temple.

"I was told it's one of your favourite spots in the city," said the general surveying the view from the roof. "Any particular reason?"

"No reason," tonelessly answered the actor, 'just trying to find a place where I can simply be, not think about anything, not to be disturbed."

"Any luck?"

"Not much."

"Then probably you should choose some place where the construction of Hephaistion's funeral pyre doesn't stare you in the face."

"Wise advice. Did you try to follow it?"

"I don't have to follow it," said Perdiccas and sat on the thick blanket spread for him in the shady spot by his page. "Do you need funds or advice from me for acquiring the parting gift?" he asked seemingly out of nowhere.

"I am fine this time, thank you," politely answered Jared without elaborating on the details. He really didn't want to have this conversation. Several days ago Alexander informed the selected number of people that they were chosen to accompany Hephaistion's body to the top of the funeral pyre in the farewell ceremony. Each had to bring a goodbye gift. Jared knew right away that it was going to be a competition for the most extravagant and expensive offering. Every one of the selected could afford it except for Jared. Alexander didn't think about it but Perdiccas did. The actor was touched but he already had a thing in his possession and didn't need to acquire one.

"I could never understand, why are you so fond of me?" Jared looked at Perdiccas with interest.

"I like you, that's true," admitted the general without any effort or hesitation, "I don't know really why. Maybe you're my second half, just as Hephaistion was Alexander's."

Jared stared at Perdiccas in disbelieve, "What do you mean?"

"Oh, don't worry," the general laughed, "my bed interests never involved men even when I was a youth."

"Still," Jared looked and felt relieved; it was the last complication he wanted in his life, "we hardly know each other."

"So what," Perdiccas shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know, I am not the one for digging deep into my soul. I simply like your company despite all the problems it brings me."

"I have no idea what problems you're talking about and in any case, it was not intentional. I like your company too, but…."Jared fell silent for some moments and then continued, "I advise you not to get too attached."

"Why? Aren't you going with us to Arabia?" inquired Perdiccas and the tone of his voice alarmed Jared for some unexplainable reason. Was the general suspecting something?

"I am going to Arabia, unless Alexander forbids it."

"He is not going to forbid, you know it well. But I am concerned for both of you. Death of Hephaistion crashed Alexander and it's understandable. I only hope that the new military campaign will restore him to his previous self, at least to some degree. But what's wrong with you? Hephaistion and you weren't very close. Sometimes it seems that you're devastated more than the king, if it's even possible. I don't understand."

"I thought you were his closest friend after Alexander," Jared purposely disregarded Perdiccas' question but marvelled at how perceptive the general was. "You seemed to recover well and quickly."

"If you're trying to accuse me again of benefiting from Hephaistion's death, don't bother. I hear it several times a day and unlike others, I don't believe that you actually think it. Right now, you're simply trying to avoid answering my question."

"And I will continue to do so," said Jared quickly and hurried to the stairs that led to the bottom. Perdiccas also jumped to his feet and followed the actor with ease. When they reached the floor, Jared, not trusting himself with his emotions, pleaded, "Perdiccas, I beg you, don't make my life any more difficult. I truly appreciate your effort and I like your company too, but you don't know the whole truth and you never will. Let's leave it at that and I promise to make an effort not to fade away. If I need any help, with anything, I will come to you. I swear to gods."

The general nodded, "Fine. But I still reserve the right to check upon you whenever I feel necessary."

"Deal," agreed Jared and silently watched Perdiccas to take off with his entourage in the direction of the bridge.

x

Jared blankly stared at the self made calendar where he kept track of days in both Macedonian and modern styles. It was a morning of Hephaistion's funeral. The day chosen by Alexander for Hephaistion's final rites fell on May 10th, one month exactly before king's own death. The actor remembered the shock he got a few weeks ago when he translated Macedonian date into the Gregorian calendar.

Not trusting himself, he asked Bagoas to prepare for him a pouch with strong smelling herbs so he could inhale them in case he felt like fainting. He has no idea how he was going to survive the day. He was dressed in all black. He ordered for himself simple Greek clothing, no fancy attire to draw attention and gossips. He regretted his earlier caprice, back at the happy days of Susa, of cutting his hair too short. He wanted to have on himself something that would connect him to the image of Hephaistion he portrayed in the movie but now he had to satisfy himself with shoulder long hair falling freely without any restriction of braids or wax.

Everybody was told to follow the instructions to the dot, not deviating for a sliver from their prearranged roles or timing. Jared got to the place of ceremony, as he was instructed, when the sun was half way between zenith and horizon. He took his place and closed his eyes; he really didn't have the strength to face the people and the gigantic structure of the funeral pyre. He remembered how in the days of preparing for the movie, he researched his character and was surprised to find out that Hephaistion's funeral was considered the most expensive in the history of the humankind. Then, he examined the reproduction of Hephaistion pyre with a curiosity of a scholar and wondered what the different ornaments represented.

Now he had the opportunity to see and ask for himself but he didn't feel the slightest desire. Soon the drums started. Jared knew it for the signal for the funeral cortege to exit the building where Hephaistion's body was kept and move in the direction of the pyre. The honour of accompanying the bier was given to the selected cavalry officers of Hephaistion's chiliarchy. During all this time Jared didn't dare to open his eyes. He mentally floated to some other reality and imagined that he was holed with his brother in the basement of his house and Shannon tried to torture him by extracting the maddeningly measured sounds from his set of drums. Jared even forced himself into having a squabbling dialogue with his brother for the occasion.

The pretence helped for some time but he was brought back to reality by Perdiccas who cautiously elbowed him in the side. The general was appointed the master of the ceremony till Alexander's own arrival.

"You're about to collapse," whispered Perdiccas, "I am not going to ask you for the reasons but can you pull yourself together?"

"I am fine," Jared said quietly and opened his eyes. In the first moment he regretted it because the cortege almost reached it's destination but then he realized the body was placed very high on the bier and he wouldn't be able to see it from the ground. A small sigh of relief escaped his lips. "I can live through it, I can live through it," repeated Jared like mantra hoping to hypnotize himself into appropriate state of mind.

The cortege stopped and the drums fell silent. Far in the distance, in the very end of the Promenade a lonely figure of the king appeared. First, it was just a dot on the horizon and people knew it was their king only because everybody was apprised of the proceedings. The dot slowly grew and people watched in silence as Alexander was moving forward. Each step was made with such an effort that the king's progress was very slow at best. Everybody stood quietly and the only sounds heard in the vicinity were an occasional roar of the lion and eagle's flapping of wings. Alexander shocked everybody yet again when he declared that instead of the usual animals slaughtered on such an occasion he was going to sacrifice a lion and an eagle.

Aristander, magi and other priests got a feat when they heard the news but by now they learned that nothing was going to sway Alexander from the decision once he made one. When Perdiccas learnt that Alexander secretly gave an order to the Chief Keeper of the royal menagerie not to feed the chosen lion for the three days before the ceremony in order to make him more violent, he wisely decided not to confront the king and ordered the said Chief Keeper either to feed the lion without the king's knowledge or expect to be fed to the animal himself. Just in case he left three people from his command in the menagerie to make sure that his, and not the king's, order was followed.

At last the king arrived. He was immaculately dressed in the black mourning clothes, impeccably groomed and composed. He stopped for a moment and rested his glance at the catafalque where his beloved body was lowered from the shoulders of the honour guards. Then he silently took his place to the right of Hephaistion's head. Place to the left was immediately taken by Perdiccas. Jared's position was behind Perdiccas and the actor suddenly realized that he was closest to the place where Hephaistion's heart once beat. It was the first time when he looked at Chiliarch's face since the horrible last days in Ecbatana. Despite his fears, Jared didn't faint. He blinked several times and forced his thoughts to marvel at the wondrous job the funeral priests did putting a measured amount of make up with a practiced skill. The face looked serene and beautiful.

Absentmindedly he watched Ptolemy taking his assigned place behind Alexander. After the future Pharaoh went Leonnatos and behind Jared – Nearchus. The last two were Mazeus to the right and to the left Simmias, Krateros' second-in-command and his proxy for this ceremony. Each one of the bearers took the supporting poles and lifted the palanquin with Hephaistion's body from the catafalque. Then they started their ascension.

Even here Alexander designed a special ceremony. As Jared learned earlier, the bodies were usually brought to the top of a funeral pyre by a system of pulleys constructed inside the pyre in the special shaft. But what was accepted practice for everybody wasn't good enough for this beloved. Alexander wasn't going to leave the body inside the darkness of the ziggurat even for the shortest of time. He made the engineers to come up with the idea of how it was possible to lift the body to the top so that everyone could watch. And of course the way was found. The special wide steps were built into the façade. The palanquin was taken onto the first step by eights people selected by the king for the honour, himself including. The formation was organized so that the length of the palanquin was parallel to the length of the steps. Then the first step was raised up to the level of the second one by the mechanisms hidden inside. The bearers moved into the second step. The first step was lowered down into original position and the second step was raised to the height of the third and so on till the very end.

It was windy on the top, ziggurat was built really high. The eight people carefully put the palanquin on another catafalque, even more lavishly decorated then the first one. Each of the participants of the honour guard took a few steps back and waited for the king to give orders.

"It is time to give your presents and say good bye," the king said in a broken voice.

Eight marble boxes were waiting for them in a semicircle at the left side of the platform. Each bore a name of one of the present people and contained their individual presents. There were no locks on the lids but the boxes were guarded by specially appointed officers who left following an almost imperceptible nod from the king. Alexander and the others took their places near the boxes with their names. Mazeus was the first. He didn't open the box and approached the catafalque empty handed. He stared for a few moments at Hephaistion's face and then loudly said, "Farewell, my honoured friend."

Then he took some steps back and turning his head to Alexander, said, "My gift is not of material value. I hope you won't mind and won't get offended." The full meaning of the phrase became clear when he lowered himself to the floor in front of the catafalque in a full proskynesis intended only for a King of Kings. He remained like that for a few moments and then got back to his feet. He looked at the king and was granted a tiny smile of gratitude for his unexpected gesture. He cast the final glance in the direction of Hephaistion's body and took his place with the rest of the attendees.

Next was Simmias. He simply said, "I came to Babylon with a report from general Krateros who is building a fleet in Cilicia. He mourns deeply the death of general Hephaistion and asked me to pass his feelings to Alexander. Though not anticipating that I will be given an honour to represent him at this ceremony, he gave me a ring to leave as an offering at Hephaistion's funeral pyre. It's just a trinket but holds a sentimental value that the Chiliarch would understand. My route to Babylon included a stop-over in Sidon where I was to meet with king Abdalonymus to discuss the naval matters. General Krateros suggested that during the meeting with the king I would ask him for some kind of memento to bring to the funeral. He was sure that Hephaistion's soul would enjoy a farewell present from a person with whom he sustained a friendship through many years. But Abdalonymus didn't need any reminder. He already had a present ready.

As it happened, and I am sure nobody is surprised here, the citizens of Sidon are extremely happy with their king. To show their appreciation a few years ago they presented Abdalonymus with a new crown, richly decorated and crafted by the best of the best. The king gratefully accepted their gift and the old crown, with which he was coronated, went to the treasury. But upon my arrival, that very crown waited for me to be taken to Hephaistion's funeral as a farewell gift." With those words Simmias went to the box with his name and took out both objects. He then went to the catafalque and reverently put Abdalonymus' crown on Hephaistion's head and ring on his dead but still perfectly preserved finger. Then he took his place with the rest.

Leonnatos' gift was stunningly beautiful and huge ruby and Nearchus brought an enormous elephant tusk carved with the scenes of battles between people and fantastical, strangely looking creatures. Ptolemy's offering was some very sophisticated mechanism, by the looks of it, astronomical. It vividly remaindered Jared a program he once saw on TV about the famous Antikythera device, the so called first analogue computer from 1st century BC. Quite possibly Ptolemy's gift was one of its predecessors.

Next was Perdiccas. He first opened his box and took out a simply looking dagger. He then approached a catafalque and looked at Hephaistion's face for a long time, not uttering a single word. The silence almost became uncomfortable when at last the general started his story. "King Philip entrusted many worthy people with different high commands in his army but he always kept in mind that any of them can betray him. So, to prevent such an action, he plucked their children from their families and installed them instead in the royal palace as hostages. I was one of those. I had my own tutor as well who treated me no better than Leonidas treated Alexander but on top of that he made several attempts to force me. Only the circumstances prevented that from happening. I was around six years old and didn't meet any of you yet. I had nobody to complain to and realized that I had to find means to defend myself. Having no real weapon, I decided to steal one. A perfect opportunity presented itself one day when, dressed as an Eros, I had to serve as a cup-bearer during one of the feasts in the palace.

I fancied a dagger that one of the nobles had in his possession. When the feast advanced to the stage that most of the guests were too drunk to notice anything, I made my move. Unfortunately, my intended victim was not as drunk as I thought him to be and caught me. He asked why I did it but I refused to tell. To my utmost surprise, he let me go. I felt relieved and run to my room trying to catch at least a few hours of sleep. But my tutor waited for me there with his not so savoury intentions. He would rape me that night if not the man whom I tried unsuccessfully rob earlier showed up at my doorstep. He threw the tutor away and I was at first relieved but then I thought the noble had the same thing in mind for me and just got rid of the competition.

Luckily, I was mistaken. The man promised me that I will be given a new tutor. He kept his word and even visited me several times to make sure I was fine. About a month later he came to bid me a temporally goodbye saying that he was leaving on some military campaign. He brought me this dagger as a gift but said that I had nothing to worry about from my old tutor. When I asked him why he took care of me he said that he also had a son who was just a toddler at the time but in a few years he would be, just as I, left alone in the palace. He also said he knew my father and, who knows, maybe one day he'd do the same for his son.

I never saw the man again because he was killed but I met his son a few years later and we became fast friends." A lonely tear rolled down Perdiccas' eye and he angrily wiped it out, in embarrassment and sorrow. Then he put the dagger near Hephaistion's hand and said, "Farewell, my friend. I wish both you and your father lived far longer."

When the general returned to his place, Jared realized it was his turn. He nervously took a few steps forward and stopped, staring blankly at the immobile body of Hephaistion. He wanted to say so many things and yet all of them seemed meaningless now. "Goodbye, Hephaistion," his simple words hang for some time in the air and then dissolved into the heavy silence. Jared lifted his head to the sky and said in a loud and clear voice, "I am going to give you one last chance, take it!" and with those words he slipped one of the two remaining black bracelets from his wrist and, disconnecting the stones, dropped them on Hephaistion's breast.

Alas, nothing happened. Jared followed with vacant glance as black shiny spheres rolled over the body in chaotic movement and rested at the bottom of the catafalque. Jared angrily pressed his lips together and plodded back in defeat.

Actor cast a quick look at Alexander but the king seemed to be in some sort of trance and Jared wasn't even sure if he paid any attention to what was going on. Nevertheless, when Jared returned to his place, Alexander startled as if following some invisible prompt and, going to the box with his name, opened the lid. He took something out wrapped in the cloth, and, before Jared could guess what it was, he heard Perdiccas' heavy sigh.

Alexander dragged his feet to the catafalque and unwrapped his gift. "Iliad!" mentally exclaimed Jared, realizing that the king's gift was more of the goodbye to the world than to Hephaistion. The famous Iliad annotated by Aristotle, the scrolls that Alexander kept under his pillow during all the campaigns. "Point of no return," Jared suddenly remembered the words of the Siwah Oracle. Were all the events predestined many years ago and all their attempts were just useless and meaningless efforts to accomplish something that never was meant to be?

King's goodbye was quick and for whatever reason he didn't linger. He carefully put the scrolls down, kissed Hephaistion's lips and ordered everybody to get down. It seemed that now he was in a hurry to be done with the ceremony. The slaying of sacrificial animals was done fast, efficient and emotionless. Offerings to the gods went with the speed and coldness done for the sake of propriety and nothing else.

Alexander followed his promise given in Ecbatana to create a new Sacred Fire from Hephaistion's funeral Pyre to the dot. The first torch was lit by Alexander who started the fire using flint and metal. He then used that torch to enkindle the others held by the seven remaining honourees who came down with him from the summit of the ziggurat. It was starting to get dark when the eight of them went around the huge Pyre and took their designated places. Alexander ignited the structure first and then the gesture was repeated in the opposite order of giving the gifts.

The huge pyramid was ablaze very quickly, looking like a colossal torch on the velvety darkness of Babylonian night that descended so quickly on all of them. Despite the heat from the pyre, Jared shivered. It was not only Hephaistion's body burning in the flames, it was future and hopes of so many people as well. Only none of them, except for Jared and Alexander, knew about it yet.

No other memorial events took place that evening. Everybody followed the orders given before the ceremony to disperse and go to their beds quietly and early. In the morning, or more correctly, at dawn, people were expected to gather and either to participate or to witness the funeral games – sport, musical and other sorts of competition. It would last for two weeks with king giving out the presents to the winners.

Jared tried to force his mind to go blank as he struggled lonely to his suites in the palace. He was tired but knew that he would have hard time to fall asleep. He played in his mind time and again the farewell ceremony, the gifts and the gods' failure to answer his prayer, no, his order, to create a miracle and bring Hephaistion back to life.

"Where is that famous "Deus ex machina" when you need one?" he lamented sitting alone in his bedroom. Neither his page nor Bagoas did make it back from the funeral yet. Did he really believe that black stones had the power of not only chartering them back and forth between times but also having the ability to bring dead to life? Was he deceiving himself with a stupid hope that the impossible was possible and gods were just waiting for a big spectacle to make their appearance and deliver the justice into the world? The justice of bringing Hephaistion back instead of taking him from the world of living so soon.

He heavily sighed and reproached himself, "You should stop dreaming, Jared Leto, Laertes of Fairyland, you should stop doing that, you should…." His thoughts were interrupted by the noise of people coming into his living rooms and when he was about to waive Bagoas and Theocles away, he sourly realized that the intruder was Perdiccas. The general left his companions in the antechamber and purposely slowly but firmly closed the door from inside.

"We have to talk," he informed Jared.

"I already told you I am not going to answer any of your questions and you do realize it's really not a good time?"

"And YOU do realize what Alexander's parting gift to Hephaistion meant?"

"Yes, I do," luckily Jared foresaw this question and had time to think it over. "It meant that Alexander at last remembered his other ancestor, Heracles, who, after loosing his beloved Hylas was able to continue with his life and performed many great deeds afterwards."

Perdiccas angrily snorted at this unexpected explanation. "Don't fool yourself and don't try to fool others. The burning of Iliad meant that after Patroclus died, now came the turn of Achilles."

"And what do you want me to do about it?!" in no less angry tone inquired Jared.

"When Alexander saw you for the first time after the death of Hephaistion, he accused you of knowing about his death and failing to prevent it. I don't want you to repeat the same mistake with Alexander. Tell me what do you know about his death and we'll work together to prevent it."

Jared drew back in horror. He didn't see it coming but he managed to pull himself together quickly and coldly responded. "Your presumptions don't make sense on so many levels. Alexander accused me of not being able to prevent Hephaistion's death because he was devastated and angry and needed to take his anger on somebody. I am sure he accused many others of the same."

"You are the only one who survived. Besides, he said you knew about it beforehand. What did he mean by that?"

"I have no idea, you'll have to ask him."

"I already did."

"And?"

"Nothing."

"I don't see how I can help. Alexander was broken and he said the first thing that came to his mind."

"I know Alexander for many years," insisted Perdiccas. "It doesn't matter in what state he is, he is always very much aware of what he is doing and saying."

"You are imagining things. I don't know what you want from me. I didn't know anything about Hephaistion's death, I was unconscious at the time, remember? I don't know anything about Alexander's death, when or how it's going to happen and I don't believe in your interpretation of his parting gift to Hephaistion. Now, when we put these things straight, can you please leave me alone and allow some time to rest?" With those words Jared stood up from the chair on which he was sitting and tried to guide Perdiccas to the door.

The general, however, wasn't that easy to be got rid of. He crossly pushed Jared's hands away and when the actor tried to persist, he grabbed him rudely by the folds of his chlamis at chest and dragged to the nearby wall, throwing roughly against it. Then he brought his face close to Jared's and hissed, "I would maybe, just maybe, believe you if not for those damned black stones. You gave one bracelet to Hephaistion and threatened, I repeat, threatened the gods to bring him back to life or else. Others may have no idea what your gift and your words meant, but I do! I f*** bought those stones for you!"

Jared inwardly cursed but made no attempt to release himself from Perdiccas' iron grip. "Those were different stones," he said tonelessly.

"Fine," the general shoved Jared against the wall one more time, less violently now, and said, "First Hephaistion bought those stones and disappeared, and then you arrived. I bought the same stones for you, and you vanished. Then you came back seven years later bringing your friend Gavalos. This time with two spare bracelets. Gavalos is dead, by Hephaistion's own hands, go figure, and you're giving the bracelet that your friend doesn't need anymore to Hephaistion trying to force the gods to bring Chiliarch back. What I am supposed to believe?"

"I, I don't know," stammered Jared. He didn't expect Perdiccas to make that kind of connection. He was now at loss how to explain the situation and get his friend off his back.

"I believe you knew that Hephaistion was to die. I believe you tried to prevent his death but couldn't. It seems that Alexander knew about your ability but then I don't understand why he didn't himself try to prevent it or why he was so shocked, as if Hephaistion's death was unexpected. I believe that Alexander is going to die and knows about it. You know it too but decided not to intervene in order to spare him the misery of life without Hephaistion. This is what I believe. Am I wrong?"

"Yes, you are wrong."

"Prove it!"

"There is nothing to prove. You talk nonsense. I am not a god to have the ability to prevent the deaths of people I like."

"A seer, maybe?"

"What?"

"A seer. Gifted to Alexander at Siwah by Ammon?"

"Perdiccas definitely has the ability to think originally," sourly thought Jared. "Damn his talents! What I am to do now?"

"So, you are a Seer," the general took Jared's silence for the sign of consent.

"No, I am not a Seer, not a god, not even a warrior. You have it all wrong. And I was unfair to you saying that you took Hephaistion's death too lightly. Just like Alexander, you're devastated. You just show it differently. It will take some time to reconcile to the sad reality. I am ready to give you that time."

"I don't know what time you're giving me and why. I myself will give you only three days."

"Three days? What for?" Jared asked uneasily.

"To grow some balls to tell me the truth. You will say nothing to Alexander about our conversation. And at the end of three days, or earlier of course, you'll tell me everything you know and together, we'll try to avert Alexander's death. If you hadn't made the mistake of concealing the knowledge of Hephaistion's death from me, maybe he would be here with us now. I am not going to let you make the same mistake with Alexander."


	25. Book of Tripolis, Ch 18 (Babylon)

Title: Alexander Revisited

Disclaimer # 1: I am fully aware that the movie with the same title exists (on DVD); this story was born out of that movie but took a turn to AU where it would reside with no intention of coming into a conflict with the original creation.

Disclaimer # 2: This story is a pure fiction. I don't know the real people involved; anything they do and say in my story has nothing to do with the actual lives of those people.

A/N # 1 - Thank you, my wonderful friends, who read and commented on the chapters that I already posted. My special regards to those who commented for the first time and who added this story to their favorites and story alert. It would be also wonderful to hear the thoughts of those who read the story but didn't voice their opinion yet. Thank you all.

A/N #2 – My apologies for the historical inaccuracy I discovered in one of my previous chapters. There I mentioned Babylonian governor Mazaeus as if he was still alive at 324 BC. However, he died a few years before, in 328 BC.

O

Jared was completely unnerved by Perdicca's ultimatum; it was not how he thought his day would end. He went to bed sure that he'd have a sleepless night trying to solve the problem that didn't have any positive solution. But sleep took him right away into blessed oblivion and he was woken up next morning by impatient Alexander who came to his chambers to personally fetch him to go to the commemoration games together.

The whole day Alexander kept Jared nearby; he talked almost exclusively to him and became upset when their conversation was interrupted by other people. The king wanted opinion of his friend on the competitors, on how the games were organized, whether everything was grand enough for Hephaistion's memory. He asked Jared how the sport and music events were organized at his time, how many people usually attended, whether he ever saw in his life anything as grandiose as he was witnessing now. Till the very evening Jared didn't have a single moment to himself. Even when Alexander allowed others to interrupt the privacy of their discussion, Jared was fully involved and had to take the charge of the conversation because Alexander preferred to remain silent.

"If Alexander treated Hephaistion the same way, I wonder when the Chiliarch had any time to do anything," thought Jared though he realized that Alexander might wanted Jared's company for the different reasons than he wanted Hephaistion's. "He wants to share his life with me because he knows he doesn't have much time left. And I am dragging along helplessly without the slightest idea how to prevent his death."

Jared's thoughts were yet again interrupted by another question from Alexander who didn't let his friend to have more than a few thoughts at the same time. In this manner morning slipped into day and day into evening. When the events of the day were concluded, Alexander expressed his desire, in a rather commanding tone, that he wished to spend the rest of the day in Laertes' company and he took the actor to his suits not even asking Jared's opinion on the matter. They had a private dinner together and then Alexander continued with his questions about life in Jared's time, sharing in return his own memories. Jared spent night in Alexander's bedroom because the king was reluctant to let him go even when they both were too tired to talk.

The second day of the funeral games and Perdiccas' ultimatum was the exact repetition of the first and, falling asleep yet again in the king's quarters, Jared had a very little time to worry about his answer to the general before the sleep claimed him. The third day, just as the first two, Jared saw the glimpses of Perdiccas here and there and exchanged with him a few phrases in Alexander's presence. But the general was patient and in no way indicated that Jared's time was running out.

"I have to discuss with Nearchus the details of his voyage," Alexander told Jared when the games of the third day ended, "and I think you want to spend some time in your own bed, away of my incessant questioning and talking. "Sostratos," Alexander turned to one of the favorite Hephaistion's lieutenants who was suspiciously conveniently nearby, "Please accompany Laertes to his quarters and make sure he is neither lost nor unnecessary accosted by his well-wishers".

"This night I'd rather spend in Alexander's company," sourly thought Jared mindlessly following Sostratos through the maze of the palace. When they arrived, Jared was enthusiastically greeted by Bagoas who didn't see his master for a few days. The eunuch wasn't worried, he knew that Laertes spent time with the king, but he realized that he missed his company and was glad to have him back.

Jared started to pace mindlessly his rather spacious quarters. He tried to concentrate on the problem at hand but somehow his thoughts trailed to different snippets of conversation he had with Alexander in the last two days. Suddenly he realized that instead of dreading Perdiccas' visit he was actually looking forward to it. Not because he wanted to be done with it but because he realized that he was going to tell the general everything and Perdiccas' help, whatever form it might take, was the only chance to save Alexander. "I was stupid when I thought I could tackle the problem alone. The solution was right in front of me, of us when Damian was alive, and that solution was Perdiccas. The gods were throwing him my way but I was blind. He was the one who went to the market in Siwah with Hephaistion when the first set of bracelets showed up. He was the one who told me about the bracelets and pointed out the merchant when I was in Siwah. Even in our time, it was Neil, aka Perdiccas, who bought the last set of stones inspired by Hephaistion's suggestion. Maybe Hephaistion would be still alive if only I had enough brain to see clearly. But I won't miss this last chance, I…."

He heard the commotion in his antechamber and, being sure that Perdiccas arrived, loudly exhaled and with renewed strength and confidence, strode in the direction of the entrance. To his complete surprise, it was Alexander again.

"I have a few things to discuss before my conference with Nearchus, so I thought I'd drop by," announced Alexander as if answering the question that he read in Jared's puzzled eyes. It won't take long but we are to be left alone. Sostratos and Bagoas, please see to it," ordered the king sweeping Jared away into the innermost room of the suites.

"What is it, Alexander?" asked Jared when they were alone.

"I want to know your decision," answered the king.

"My decision about what?" Jared felt mystified.

"Your answer to Perdiccas."

"My answer to Perdiccas?" repeated Jared taken aback by Alexander's question and not yet fully processing it.

"Yes, my new Chiliarch gave you three days to come up with the answer and your time run out as of now. You must have the answer ready, I presume."

"My answer," shocked Jared dropped as a dead weight on cushioned divan behind him, "what do you mean?"

"I do have a meeting with Nearchus soon, so please don't waste my time," said Alexander and Jared could discern the cold notes in the king's voice that Alexander didn't use with him for quite some time. "After the funeral pyre Perdiccas came here accusing you of being a god, a Seer, somebody powerful enough to save my life. He gave you three days to come clean. You expect him to show up at your doorstep any moment now. I am even sure you thought it was him when you heard my arrival. So, what are you to say to him?"

Though Jared knew he had no time to think about the best answer possible, he still decided to drag time, hoping for a miracle, maybe Perdiccas will save him by appearing at this very moment.

"How do you know that Perdiccas was here?" the actor ask deliberately not mentioning the topic of his and general's conversation three days ago.

"I know. It doesn't matter how."

"Did Bagoas spy on me? Was it the real reason why you so generously gifted him to me?"

"Don't be stupid! And no, it wasn't Bagoas."

"Then who?"

"None of your business. So, what's your answer to Perdiccas?"

"I don't have one," Jared turned away from Alexander who was staring at the actor a burning intensity.

"Great, then, consider me your saviour."

"What do you mean?" Jared asked with apprehension.

"I forbade Perdiccas to come close to you. As a matter of fact, I forbade anybody to come close to you. From now on you are confined to your apartments until we leave for Arabia, or until I die, whatever comes first."

"It is not funny!" exclaimed Jared.

"It wasn't intended to be. Those are my orders. You are to stay here. Nobody is allowed to come and visit you. Don't worry, you're not disgraced. I let everybody know that there was an attempt on your life which you've narrowly escaped and for your own safety nobody can come in or out. I personally picked guards for this duty, they answer to Sostratos only and he answers to me. For your personal entertainment you'll have Bagoas, your page Theocles and Peridemos to chat with. Neither of you can leave these premises. If you need anything, you will let Sostratos know and he'll arrange for it. Am I clear?"

"Alexander, you can't do that!" exclaimed Jared.

"Watch me!" the king gave Jared dispassionate glance and turned around to leave.

"Alexander, I beg you," Jared ran after the king. "Why are you doing this? You can't remove me from your presence now, you simply can't."

"There is nothing to discuss," the king continued towards the door.

"But why, Alexander, why?" pleaded Jared trying to stop the king in his progress.

"Pull yourself together, Laertes," coldly stated Alexander when they both entered the antechamber full of guards to whom Sostratos was giving orders.

"I don't care," shouted Jared, "I came here to save your life and not the other way around."

Alexander grabbed Jared and shoved him against the nearest wall. He brought his lips to Jared's ear and whispered, "Don't argue with me, do what you're told. One more word about why you are here or who you really are and I will give orders to execute everybody here. If it's not enough, I will add Perdiccas to the pile. So, shut up if you value any of those lives." With those words Alexander left Jared alone and hurriedly exited the room."

"Master," fearfully started Bagoas.

"Leave me alone," shouted Jared in distress and rushed to his bedroom. He entered there in a whirlwind and started to demolish everything around.

O

When Jared came back to reality, he found himself lying on the floor with blankets over him and a pillow under his head. His bedroom looked as if a bomb was dropped in a middle of it. The debris of the things past their recognizable image were strewn all over the room. Even his bed was in such sorry state of existence that it couldn't serve its purpose any more. The shutters on the windows were broken and the curtains striped from the beams. Through the naked windows Jared could see the beautiful morning sky, majestic in its divine blue illuminated by the golden rays of sun.

The memories from the previous evening swept too soon over him and instead of enjoying the beauty of nature he felt a heavy weight of reality confining him into its prison. The threat of Perdiccas' unpredictable reaction to his revelations seemed laughable now. Of course Perdiccas would believe him but now he was also out of reach and stubborn but all powerful Alexander ruined the last possible chance of his own salvation. Jared forced himself into a sitting position and moaned in pain. He felt like the legion of enemies beat him all over his body though he realized that his condition was a result of his own rage the previous evening. He looked around trying to determine what wall was closer to crawl to. Making the decision he clumsily started to drag himself to his new destination. Knocking some bits and pieces of the wreckage in his room, he created enough noise for the people in other rooms to realize that he was awake.

The next moment he saw the door of his room flung open and Bagoas, Theocles, Peridemos and Sostratos all rushed in to help him out.

"I don't need your help," predictably annoyed by their appearance, growled Jared.

"We're just helping ourselves," tried to joke Peridemos. "I don't want to be executed by Alexander for not being able to take care of you. How about you make yourself comfortable in another room while we'll try to make your bedroom habitable again?"

"Whatever," grumbled Jared but allowed Peridemos to help him navigate through the room.

"I hope you're hungry," Bagoas put his best innocently sweet smile on his face. "I ordered all your favorite things for you breakfast."

"Did you try them yourself to make sure the food is not poisoned?"

"It was prepared by Alexander's personal cooks and under supervision of one of my soldiers," informed Sostratos.

Jared wanted to comment that Alexander's personal cooks might be as guilty as anybody else, especially considering that they were the ones who prepared Hephaistion's meals as well, but what was the point? He already knew that Sostratos wouldn't let him out of his suit no matter the excuse and he definitely didn't have the strength to overcome all the people whom Alexander assigned to him. He absentmindedly ate the breakfast and asked Bagoas for a new change of clothes. The eunuch started to fuss all over him, forcing Jared into warm and relaxing bath, soothing massage and combing his hair. Jared agreed just to let the time pass.

He remained in Bagoas' care all the morning and afternoon and then shared lunch with Peridemos. The craftsman tried to entertain Jared telling him stories about Hephaistion and he succeeded. The afternoon stretched into evening and when Jared felt sleepy, Bagoas, appearing as if from a thin air, took him to improvised bed arranged in one of the rooms; his own bedroom was still in the rather inhabitable state.

A few days passed, one similar to another. Jared wasn't let alone even for a moment and every night he fell asleep either drifting away under Bagoas' relaxing massage or Peridemos' stories. It was a middle of May; Jared was still marking his days on the dual calendar and was sure he wasn't off significantly. At some point he tried to find means to escape remembering all the methods he ever saw in the movies or read in the books. Only Bagoas seemed somewhat sympathetic to his pleas but he couldn't come up with any worthy ideas either.

The most obvious one was to escape through one of the windows. To his dismay Jared discovered that not only he was too high from the ground but all his windows were in plain sight of the window in the room where his guards stood their watch. He tried to convince Bagoas to prepare a strong sleeping potion, this deus-ex-machina device in so many books and movies but they didn't have access to so much wine stock and poppy seeds pods. Bagoas, though listening sympathetically to all his master ideas, was too cautious to truly encourage him or suggest his own.

"You should listen to Alexander, he knows what he's doing," the eunuch tried to convince him. "He will find your enemies and execute them."

"I don't have any enemies, Bagoas, don't you see it? It's just a ploy. Alexander doesn't want me around. His own life is in danger but he refuses to see it or he doesn't care." Jared tried to find an appropriate excuse to explain the king's actions without raising any suspicions. He also tried to persuade Bagoas to secretly carry the message to Perdiccas but the eunuch couldn't get out. They looked for secret passages but couldn't discover any that weren't blocked by somebody beforehand.

Sostratos, though behaving as friendly as one could wish for, was adamant in following Alexander's orders and wouldn't let anybody, except the guards, to leave the premises. Jared tried his best cajoling skills but the lieutenant was unrelenting. Not even the vivid retelling of the prophetic dreams that foretold a mortal danger to Alexander could make Sostratos to change his mind.

"Alexander warned me that you would try these tricks on me," simply responded Sostratos after each fit of Jared's superb acting performance. Jared would go away in moody desperation either to crash more things or to shut himself out from interacting with anybody.

Though they weren't allowed out, the news of outside world were brought to them without any seeming restrictions. They got updates on how Hephaistion's funeral games went on, about the preparation of expedition to Arabia, about latest palace gossips including the bets on the sex of Roxana's child.

One day, Sostratos, personally bringing the breakfast into the room, told to Jared, "Nearchus sends his regards and regrets that you can't participate in his farewell party later tonight."

"I know," loudly whispered Jared in response, "it's June first today."

"It is what?" asked Sostratos, not understanding the meaning of the sentence."

"Doesn't matter," Jared turned away. He could have started again to besiege Sostratos with his pleas to get out but he knew there was no point. He didn't touch his breakfast and went away from the table to stare into the open window. He stood there for a very long time, thinking about nothing and everything at the same time. When Bagoas' pleas to eat became too annoying to disregard, he shouted something vulgar at the eunuch and shut himself in his study, a small room with huge window, shelves filled with papyrus scrolls, a small table with a chair and writing materials. He sat on the floor in the corner with his back to the window and stared blankly at the opposing wall.

From time to time his fellow prisoners of Alexander's will tried to persuade him to get out but he either ignored them completely or shouted profanities with suggestions to leave him alone. It became darker in the room and Jared knew that the evening was creeping on them. Time was passing in mute silence and soon it became so dark that Jared couldn't see anything in the room. Nobody bothered him any longer concluding that Jared will snap out of his current fit of moodiness on his own. The actor fell asleep on the floor, exhausted from doing nothing and just waiting for the disaster to happen.

He woke up from the loud repeating knocks on the door and Peridemos booming voice, "Laertes, wake up, Laertes!"

Jared, still too befuddled from the sleep, clumsily got on his feet and opened the door.

"What's the matter?" he asked and then the reality gripped him with horror, "Alexander?"

"Alexander is fine," responded Peridemos, "he just drank a little too much at Nearchus' party and then was corned by Medius and couldn't refuse another invitation. I am sure he'll sleep it over and will be back to his normal by afternoon."

Jared frowned. According to the sources, Alexander was smitten by sharp pain at Medius' party, cried out and fell unconscious. Was the incident also someone's invention just as chicken and wine that caused Hephaistion's demise?

"Are you sure that Alexander is fine and just had too much wine?"

"This is what Sostratos told me, why?"

"How Sostratos knows it?"

Peridemos shrugged his shoulders, "I didn't ask. Please come and have some breakfast and I'll fetch him here."

But Jared was too worried to eat. He paced the room impatiently until Peridemos came back in Sostratos' company.

"Laertes, everything is fine," the former Hephaistion's lieutenant tried to calm him. "I know you worried about Alexander but his life is not in danger. You should eat something or the king will send me to prison for not taking a good care of you."

"How do you know about what happened at Medius' party?" asked Jared ignoring Sostratos' plea.

"Iolas told me. He stopped by while you were still asleep."

"Iolas?"

"Yes. You know him. Alexander's cupbearer."

"Why would he come here?" Jared asked with suspicion.

"He was Hephaistion's page before he became Alexander's cupbearer. We are friends though he is rather younger than myself. He used to call me his older brother, he still does, sometimes. Cassander dragged him into another family quarrel; I hope Alexander doesn't intend to bring him along when we go to Arabia. Antipater is really out of luck with his oldest son, all others are very likable fellows. Iolas just came for some compassion. His dear lover, I mean Medius, of course, fell asleep after too much fun last night and Iolas needed a friendly shoulder to pour his frustration. I tried to calm him and sent away to sleep it over, the poor guy didn't sleep for more than a day."

"So, you sure Alexander is fine, he just drunk too much?" Jared tried to get more reassurance.

"Of course he is fine, why wouldn't he be? Did you have another bad dream?"

"Yes," admited Jared, "I hope it's nothing."

The actor closed his eyes, trying to persuade himself that some miracle would happened and Alexander wasn't going to fell ill and die.

His dreams were shuttered later that afternoon when concerned Sostratos came in and told everybody that Alexander was still in bed, apparently not feeling well, consumed by fever and pains in his stomach.

"Let me out," begged him Jared.

"I can't," now Sostratos was serious, "Alexander's instructions were to keep you inside, no matter what."

"I need to see him, take me to him. I won't talk to anybody, I promise. You can take everyone with you, in case you seriously consider that somebody is going to attack me. I need to see Alexander, I have to talk to him."

"I can't," Sostratos turned away. "I promised. Besides, it was an order. I have to follow it."

Though everybody was worried, the first day didn't seem out of the ordinary. Nobody could even think about what was going to happen. Jared alone was cursed with the knowledge. The next few days dragged excruciatingly slow and now Sostratos was sending his people to check after Alexander's condition several times a day. Unfortunately, every next piece of news was worse than the previous one.

Jared heard Peridemos whispering with Sostratos that maybe he should allow Laertes to see Alexander but the lieutenant was adamant. "Alexander's orders remain Alexander's orders, regardless of the king's condition."

"What if the king won't make it this time? He seems really bad."

"I know and I can't even think about what's going to happen but I have my orders, you can't convince me to ignore them."

"I understand," Peridemos sighed, "but Laertes deserves to see Alexander if our worse fears come true . He still can't forgive himself that he wasn't with Hephaistion when the general died."

"We all were away. Enough of that."

Jared drew back when he realized the pair was going to split. The worst thing was not being able to do anything. Even if he couldn't have prevent Alexander's death, at least being able to stay with the king till his last moment would have been better that anguishing in the unknown anticipating that each moment would bring the disastrous news.

And when that moment came Jared was as unprepared for it as if he had no foreknowledge at all. Bagoas screamed and started frantically to tore his clothes in shreds, Peridemos shook his head and started pointlessly walk through the rooms without any visible purpose, Theocles sat quietly in the corner, his eyes widely open and staring blankly at some place on the wall. Sostratos, not revealing the source of his news, talked quietly with the soldiers under his command, trying to reassure them of something.

When the first shock was over and everybody started to besiege Sostratos with questions, he admitted that he didn't know much. Alexander didn't name anybody explicitly as his successor but he gave his ring to Perdiccas.

"Did he say anything in the end?" asked Peridemos. "What were the king's last words?"

"I don't know," plainly answered Sostratos. "I wasn't there. That's not good for the kingdom that he didn't pass his power to anybody. There will be too many contestants. He should have named Perdiccas. I wonder why he didn't, he trusted the general and made him Chiliarch after Hephaistion."

"Maybe he couldn't believe that he was dying," suggested Peridemos, "he was declared a god after all. He cheated the death so many times before…."

"Before there was Hephaistion," Jared suddenly spoke. "And I shouldn't be the one telling you that. Don't let him to be forgotten so quickly, especially now, that Alexander is dead as well."

"We are not going to Arabia now," out of the blue said Bagoas.

"No, we are not," responded Jared and moved in the direction of the exit.

"Where are you going?" asked Sostratos.

"I don't know. Somewhere. Maybe I'll seek out Perdiccas. He'll need people he can rely upon now."

"Nothing changed with Alexander's death. You can't leave. King's orders."

"You must be kidding me!" exclaimed Jared. "What king's orders?"

"Alexander's. He gave me new orders a few days ago."

"You went to see him?" blustered Jared. "You didn't tell us anything!"

"I wasn't supposed to. Alexander insisted. As much as he could insist. I almost knew he wouldn't be able to make it. I just refused to believe it."

"What did he say?" Jared asked nervously. He was upset and somewhat offended that Alexander didn't ask to see him."

"Your life is still in danger and you can't leave these premises until somebody will come and pick you up."

"Who is that somebody?"

"I am not allowed to say."

"You are not allowed to say," angrily mimicked Jared, "and if you to die this night in your sleep? What's then? Am I free to go?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I hope you don't intend to kill me. I gave orders to my second-in-command what to do if something happens to me."

"I can't believe it!" Jared exploded. "Are you and Alexander for real?"

"Don't speak badly of the dead," warned Peridemos.

"Bite me," fumed Jared. "You and your sick games with people's lives. I am sick and tired of being everybody's pawn. Let me go," he tried to force himself past Sostratos.

"Don't be stupid," Sostratos caught him in midway. "You know very well that you won't be able to pass through. You just have to be patient."

"I was patient!" hollered Jared. "And what the result? Alexander is dead!"

"Are you saying that you really were able to prevent Alexander's death?" asked Sostratos.

"I might have," reproached them Jared; he wasn't much sure of the fact but nobody needed to know. "I told you many times but you preferred to listen to Alexander."

"I believe Alexander knew what he was doing," started Sostratos.

"Now you can shove your believe in your ass," lashed out Jared and angrily stomped away to one of the spare rooms.

They didn't talk much to each other during the following days. Somebody would come and bring the latest news but Jared wasn't interested. He stopped marking his days on the calendar, what was the point? He mostly shut himself in the study and mindlessly stared at the window or at the scrolls, not really trying to read, just to have something before his eyes. He would come out and eat, or succumb to Bagoas pleas to change into something new and comb his hair. He cut off all attempts to start a conversation with him and wasn't interested in listening to others talk and discuss the situation.

He wasn't sure exactly how many days passed since Alexander's death when he heard commotion in the antechamber. First, he wanted to go and investigate but then dully thought that if somebody really needed him, they could take a few extra steps and come to his room.

"It is Lycon, he wants to see you," Theocles popped his head in the door.

"Who in Hades is Lycon?" asked Jared, mildly wondering what happened to Sostratos' strict adhering to Alexander's order not to let anybody in.

"Commander of Roxana's bodyguards. She wants you to visit her. Maybe it's your ticket out of these rooms."

"Maybe it's my ticket out of this life," Jared thought grimly. "It must be about the time when she gave orders to kill Stateira and Drypetis. I wonder when Perdiccas found the time to deal with Darius' daughters if he is knee-deep embroidered in power struggle with Meleager and others. Maybe it was all prearranged, including Alexander's death."

Nevertheless, he got up and followed Theocles into antechamber. It was full with soldiers who constituted his guard and many others whom he didn't remember seeing before. Sostratos was arguing with a tall, broad shouldered man who was wildly gesticulating trying to prove his point.

"What's going on?" asked Jared loudly.

"You are to come with me!" announced the stranger whom Jared believed be Lycon.

"I am not taking orders from people I don't know," informed him Jared in a very peremptory tone, "Who are you?"

"I am Lycos, the head of Queen Roxana's bodyguards."

"She was never crowned a Queen," started Sostratos.

"How dare you?!" barked Lycos.

"Stop it!" Jared tried his most commanding voice. "I won't brook any quarrels here. Why did you come?"

"The Queen sent for you."

"And you came here with half of the Army leaving her unprotected?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I didn't even take the quarter of my men. She wants to see you and to talk to you. She is very nervous and it's dangerous in her situation. I need her to calm down so she won't give a premature birth to Alexander's child. I don't want to be responsible for that."

"You sound like an expert."

"Yes, I have a few wives here and there and a lot of children… everywhere. Women like me and tend to cling to me when they about to give birth. A long time ago somebody spread a rumor that my mother was a midwife and everybody seems to believe that she passed the trade to me."

"Don't tell me that Alexander made you the head of Roxana's bodyguards because of it!" exclaimed Peridemos.

"It didn't hurt," scowled Lycos, "but I am far better with weapons, believe me. Now, Laertes, are you coming?"

"He can't go anywhere," Sostratos stood his ground.

"I can send for more troops," threatened Lycos.

"I have the king's orders!"

"But the king is dead and his queen wishes to see Laertes."

"Roxana is not a queen, and even if she were…."

"Stop it," Jared intervened again, "Lycos, give us a moment," with those words the actor guided Sostratos away.

"I guess he is not the person who was supposed to deliver my freedom?" asked Jared when he was alone with his guard.

"No. And I have no intention of allowing Lycos to disregard Alexander's last wishes."

"Maybe you don't but you might not have a choice. If Lycos calls for reinforcement, you'll be outnumbered."

"Don't worry, I can call for reinforcements myself."

"I suppose you can but why start a brawl? I believe many flexing their muscles now trying to establish themselves in the new reality. I will go with Lycos and see what Roxana wants. Then I come back, I promise."

"No, Laertes, I can't agree to it."

"Sostratos, please. I beg you to see the reason. I promise, on Hephaistion's memory, I have no intention of breaking my word. I will come back right away."

"No, Laertes, I can't." Sostratos was unmoved.

"If you don't let me go, I will side with Lycon and ask him to bring more men. I hate to do it but I will."

"No," Sostratos stood in Jared's way. "It is dangerous. Who knows what Roxana might have in mind? What if you get attacked on the way?"

"Don't be stupid, what can she do?" asked Jared burying the knowledge of what she did or was about to do to Stateira and Drypetis.

"It still might be a trap," insisted Sostratos.

"By Ares' balls, I am not that important. I was that to Hephaistion and Alexander but now they are dead and I am a nobody. Believe me when I say that people here have more important things on their minds than to plot my demise."

"They might want revenge."

"I don't have any enemies. Alexander was imagining things. But to honor his wishes and make you feel more comfortable, I promise to return. I swear."

"Lycos is getting more overbearing," Peridemos came to inform them. "If you don't show up now, he'll start attacking your people," he nodded in Sostratos' direction.

"Fine, let's go," Sostratos unwillingly agreed.

"I am going with you," Jared informed Lycos not waiting for Sostratos' approval.

"Fine, but you're returning today. And Lycos, you'd better make sure that he makes it safely both ways."

"Don't worry, I have no intention of displeasing the Queen."

"I will come with you," volunteered Peridemos.

"No," said Jared. If something was going to happen to him, he didn't want Peridemos' death on his hands. "Though," sadly thought the actor, "if oracle is right, Peridemos will die if there is no Hephaistion around."

"Then I will come," suggested Bagoas.

Lycos scoffed but Jared agreed. "I hope you don't mind," he said to Sostratos. "If I need to send you a message or ask for help, he'll for sure find his way around the palace better than anybody else."

Sostratos silently nodded. He didn't like the fact that he had to bow to reality and hoped that he didn't make a mistake by letting Laertes go.

O

Jared followed Lycos in silence. He tried to imaging Roxana as a scheming, murder thirsty queen but doesn't matter how much he tried, he couldn't believe the image. Perdiccas' involvement also started to seem to him highly unlikely. He was in the middle of power struggle with so many people, what did he care about the lives of Stateira and Drypetis? Unless one had to assume that the murder was premeditated a long time ago, when Alexander was still alive, then it was a possibility. But then it meant Perdiccas conspired to end king's life as well. How much real was such a possibility? True, Jared had to admit, his opinion of Perdiccas was clouded because he really liked the man and considered him a friend, even if it sounded ridiculous.

His uneasy musings were interrupted by Lycos who announced their arrival at destination.

"Be respectful to the Queen and don't upset her," lectured the bodyguard seriously.

Jared entered the inner room. Roxana was sitting in what appeared to be some sort of a rocking chair. Sophonisba was nearby, showing to Roxana different flower arrangements. The Queen was about eight months pregnant and looked very much like it. Her face complexion retained some of her previous tan and her dark smooth hairs were combed upward and hold in place by yellow silky ribbon. But the smiles and lovely dimples were gone. Roxana's black eyes were sad and apprehensive but they lit up when she saw Jared to enter.

"I am so glad you could come," the gratitude in the queen's voice broke Jared's heart. Despite her loveliness and desire to please, she was a lonely woman, not liked by anyone in particular, including her own husband.

"But of course. I would come earlier if I knew you wanted to see me," Jared lied. There was no reason to burden Roxana with details of his own imprisonment.

"Please sit here," Roxana pointed out to a low couch nearby. "Are you well looked after? You seem gaunt and slimmer than before. Do you forget to eat sometimes?"

"I am fine, milady, don't worry about me. But what about you, how do you hold up?"

"I don't know," sadly, almost in whisper, said Roxana. "I am still very confused and can't come to terms with Alexander's death. What is going to happen to me and my child?"

"You shouldn't worry," tried to reassure her Jared. "Everything will be fine. As much as it can be fine now. You'll give birth to a healthy boy who will be proclaimed the next king and the true heir to your husband's empire."

"I wish I can believe it," murmured Roxana and fell silent.

"Why did she want to see me?" wondered Jared to himself. "Of all the people, why would she want to see me? We weren't that close after all. I told her a fascinating story one time and after that we saw glimpses of each other on official occasions. Unless Perdiccas wanted her to lure me here, just as he made her to lure Stateira and Drypetis. Is Roxana that good of an actress or she just too simple to understand whatever game Perdiccas is playing?"

"Can you tell me another story?" timidly asked Alexander's widow. "Something sweet and with a good ending. I really need to hear something like that now."

Jared looked at Roxana with some surprise. Was he making too much of the situation? Was it really possible that Roxana indeed wanted him here just as a good storyteller? She remembered that once he told her an interesting story and wanted to hear another one to pass her time or distract herself from the unpleasant reality. Maybe the killing of Stateira and Drypetis happened later when Perdiccas temporally regained power and control in Babylon. Or maybe it never happened at all, maybe it was a story invented by Perdiccas' and Roxana's ill-wishers to blacken their reputation. After all Cyrus, Darius' son, disappeared mysteriously from the history and nobody knows what happened to him. Maybe Darius' daughters disappeared as well and neither Roxana nor Perdiccas had anything to do with their death.

"All right, I'll tell you a story," said Jared wishing to break the uncomfortable silence. But then he started to think and somehow none of the fairy tales seemed to fit the description of short and sweet. In the end, he decided on the "Puss in Boots" though he had to cut short the adventures and substitute French country side with rolling hills somewhere in Macedonia.

It was difficult to say whether Roxana liked the story or not but in the end she thanked him gratefully and asked if he could visit her from time to time and entertain with other stories.

Jared politely agreed and then asked, "You don't have a lot of visitors, do you?"

"No," said Roxana, "the Persian wives of the generals despise my company and never come for a visit."

"What about Stateira and Drypetis?"

Roxana shook her head in negative gesture and stared at her hands which she held on her stomach.

"They don't visit?" Jared repeated his question.

"They think me a nobody, some unimportant chieftain's daughter who stole Stateira's rightful place to be called the first wife of King Alexander. They never said a word to me and turned their heads away on a few public occasions here in Babylon. Our rooms are on the farthest sides of the palace."

"It makes sense," thought Jared to himself. "In the hierarchy of the Persian Empire who is some chieftain's daughter compared to those of the King of Kings? Alexander maybe married to Roxana but her status would be always below Stateira's and Parisatis'. Drypetis and her sister will never answer Roxana's invitation to come to her quarters and grieve together as Arrian or one of the other original sources wrote. I bet it is all Ptolemy's fault, he invented all those stories to blacken the people who weren't his allies. The old fox outlived everybody and none of his opponents was still alive to say otherwise; or maybe nobody dared before.

"I understand," Jared said aloud. Suddenly, he was gripped by desire to find out what really happened to Stateira and Drypetis. He had no doubt by now that Roxana had nothing to do with it and probably Perdiccas neither. Who knows, maybe while Perdiccas struggled to outwit and eliminate Meleager, Ptolemy took care of Darius' daughters and later accused Perdiccas of it.

"If you have no visitors," he continued, "do you go outside yourself? Do you go outside of the palace to enjoy the city, do you go to the majestic Hanging Gardens, to Euphrates? I am sure inside the palace there are also many wonderful sights to behold."

"I do no such thing," said Roxana though there weren't enough sad tones in her voice to indicate that she had any desire to do so and was forbidden. "I don't like big cities and big palaces, here is everything too much, over the brim – too much people, too much colours, and too much noises. I preferred the company of my husband when he was still alive and could found time for me. Sophonisba does a wonderful job of providing me with everything I need, though I miss sometimes having friendly visitors to come over. This was why I asked for you company, I knew you were a friend of Alexander and you treated me with respect that many other of his friends lacked."

"I see," Jared nodded compassionately, "I am glad I could be of service. Call me again if you need. I will come if I can."

"Thank you," Roxana expressed her gratitude with sincerity that people rarely put into those two words, "I don't have any power here really, but if I can do something for you, I'll do it with great pleasure."

"Oh, no, I am fine," Jared smiled weakly knowing that there was nothing Roxana could do for him, "but if something comes to my mind, I'll ask when I come next time for a visit." Jared stood from his seat and was about to say his final good byes when the idea suddenly struck him. "Do you know about any wells nearby?"

"Wells?" Roxana repeated with surprise.

"Yes, wells, there must be wells in the palace."

"I don't know about any wells, as I said, I rarely go outside of my quarters, but maybe Sinsada knows?"

The plump eunuch whom Jared recognized from his first visit to Roxana made his appearance from one of the curtains.

"Yes, there are quite a few wells in the palace. They are all in the beautiful surroundings of inside gardens. I can take you there if you wish. Do you want to see any one in particular?"

"Does any of them is in a rarely visited corner of the palace?"

Jared noticed as Sinsada and Bagoas exchanged quick glances but neither of them said anything and Sinsada pretended to think over Jared's question.

"Now I know there is at least one," Jared didn't have time to play games. "Tell me about it."

Sinsada mumbled something unintelligible but Bagoas was braver. "There is a well in a very secluded area of the palace, it's called "Well of Sorrows" but it has a very bad reputation."

"Why, are its waters poisonous?" asked Jared though he guessed that the bad reputation of the well must be due to the completely different reason.

"Not a good reputation," Sinsada echoed Bagoas' explanation. "You can't go there."

"I want to go there; Bagoas, you'll show me the way."

"No, master, it's too dangerous. We have to return to your suits, you promised Sostratos we will come back tonight."

"And we will, right after we go to check out this well."

"Why do you want to visit it?" asked Roxana. "If Sinsada and Bagoas say it's dangerous, it must be. They know the palace better than anybody else present."

"Whatever the imagined danger is, I am sure it's not waiting for us there," insisted Jared. "Everybody is too busy with the aftermath of Alexander's death."

Sinsada and Bagoas started to convince Jared to abandon this dangerous idea but the actor's mind was made up.

"The more you argue the less time is left to go to the well and then return to my apartments," Jared interrupted them decisively. Bagoas, let's go."

"Maybe you can take some of my guards," suggested Roxana, "just in case."

"No," Jared was determined to have his own way, "those guards are here for your protection and not mine. Thought I am sure nothing is going to happen to you, I prefer to leave them out of it."

Jared already realized Roxana wasn't a person to insist much on anything. She just meekly nodded and, advising him to be careful, bid him sweet goodbye.

"I'll see you in a few days if you so wish," Jared said to Roxana and came after Bagoas who unwillingly followed his master's orders.

They exited Roxana's suits through some hidden door and for a long time went through dark corridors and abandoned rooms. Sometimes their route coincided with public places where they could see other people go around their business, sometimes they took some hidden and poorly lit passages that would have sent creeps down Jared's spine if he wasn't so much obsessed with the desire to see this well that might be, or might be not, the last resting place of Darius' daughters. He has no way of knowing whether the princesses were still alive or already dead, he just needed to be there. He didn't exchange any words with Bagoas, he was happy that the eunuch obeyed, though not very enthusiastically, his order and didn't try to talk him out of it any longer.

"Shhh," Bagoas almost inaudibly whispered, and then he took Jared's hand and guided him in the different direction. In the dimly lit corridor the actor saw a staircase leading up. He followed Bagoas there who, halfway up, whispered, "a few steps further that corridor is a turn that leads to the opening where the well is. If you take the turn, you can't hide if something is wrong but this staircase leads to a secret place above the opening. From there we can see if there is anybody near that well, just in case."

Jared nodded though he wasn't sure that Bagoas could see it. A few steps further and they stepped into completely dark enclosure that seemed to be a dead end.

"How can we see anything from here?" he whispered into the darkness. His eyes didn't adapt to the lack of light yet and though Bagoas' hand was still holding his he could discern only a vague silhouette of the eunuch.

Bagoas whispered, "Drop on your knees here and watch."

Jared followed the suggestion and heard some rustling and then he realised that Bagoas moved hanging branches of some plant because suddenly he could see the yard below.

"Don't do any sudden movements and don't move too many branches aside," Bagoas continued to whisper.

They could see nobody at first and Bagoas dropped the plants he was holding back and crawled a little further. He moved the hanging boughs again and gasped.

"What is it?" Jared impatiently moved eunuch aside and took a look down.

He could see a part of the well, a few people nearby, servants or slaves by the look of them and two immovable things on the floor. They were wrapped in some sort of curtains or drapery but there was no doubt that they were human bodies. Jared estimated that they were approximately one floor above the ground; from above, the bodies looked like belonging to women or slender men. While he was staring in disbelieve, the two of the servants lifted one of the bodies from the floor and moved in the direction of the well with clear intention to drop it inside.

Jared cursed and bolted from the enclosure down. He covered the staircase in a few leaps and rushed to the opening.

"No! What you are doing?!" he heard Bagoas' loud and rasp whisper full of horror. "Please stop! No-o-o-o-o!"

But Jared wasn't listening. He got to the entrance and pushed the man who was there aside. Despite the fact that the guard was placed there for the exact purpose of guarding it against any intruders, he either really didn't expect anybody to show up or was too inexperienced to reach quickly enough.

Jared sprinted past him but Bagoas wasn't so lucky. The actor heard the loud scream of pain but didn't have time to react when he realized that he himself was running into a blade that in a moment was going to cut him through. But it didn't happen. Wounded Bagoas still have enough life in him to push Jared with his own body aside and down and took the blade intended for his master. Another sword flickered over Jared's head but somebody's sharp order in Greek, "Don't!" saved actor's life at the nick of time.

Jared rolled out the way of blade that went down just a few inches from his body and crawled a few steps to where Bagoas was lying in a pool of blood, some seeping from his back from his first wound at the entrance and a more from the huge gushing wound in the stomach, together with intestines and other insides.

Jared stared in horror at the mangled body of the eunuch, the actor wasn't sure if he was still alive.

"Bagoas," he called weakly taking eunuch's hand in his own. There was no answer and because Bagoas' head was turned in other direction, Jared couldn't see if there was any reaction to his plea but Bagoas' fingers stayed unmoved in Jared's hand.

Jared more felt than heard somebody kneeling nearby and he watched as somebody's fingers went to Bagoas' throat checking the pulse.

"He is dead," said vaguely familiar voice. "Curse of the Ormuzd, what are you doing here?"

Jared slowly turned his head away from the pitiful view of Bagoas and looked up at the stranger.

"Frada!" was all Jared could say in a shock.

"Yes, it's me, otherwise you'd be already dead, just as him. You still might have been killed if I didn't see you in time. Why are you here? How do you know about this place?"

"Bagoas brought me here," answered Jared automatically.

"Why?"

"I asked him to. Now he is dead because of me…."

"Why did you ask him? How did you manage to get past Sostratos? He was supposed to guard you with his life and I thought I could rely on him!"

"Sostratos?" Jared asked confused. "I don't understand. What he is to do with anything?" But just as he was finishing his question, it dawned on him.

"It was you! It was you who eavesdropped of my conversation with Perdiccas and reported it to Alexander. I should have guessed."

"You should have stayed where you were told!" angrily said Frada. "How did you get out?"

"None of your business!" rudely responded Jared. "Bagoas is dead because of you!"

"No, Bagoas is dead because of you! If you just had a common sense of staying where you were ordered and waiting patiently…"

"Don't lecture me!" Jared angrily interrupted and jumped to his feet. And then he remembered that Bagoas' wasn't the only one dead body here but the princesses too. One of them was already thrown into the well while Jared run down from the hiding place above and disposition of the other body was most probably interrupted by his own appearance.

"How could you?!" Jared shouted back at Frada. "How could you kill them when Drypetis was Hephaistion's wife? You professed you respect and devotion to Hephaistion and you killed his widow and sister-in-law!"

Frada frowned, "How do you know it's them?"

Jared paled. He realized he hoped to hear from Frada that he was mistaken and those are the bodies of some miserable wrenches that were killed because… whatever the reason was. But Frada's question eliminated any doubt.

"It is them, isn't it? How could you? Unless….," Jared was struck by the sudden idea, "Did they poison their husbands?"

"No, they didn't. Let's go," and with those words Frada gestured in the direction of some dark passage nearby.

"I am not going anywhere," Jared took a few steps away from the eunuch, "if you want to kill me you can do it now. Otherwise I am staying here."

"What for?" asked Frada. Then he said some words in Persian to the servants and two men approached Bagoas' body, one from the head and another from the feet and started to lift him from the ground.

"No," Jared tried to stop them but Frada interfered and the obedient servants threw Bagoas' body down the well.

"He is buried together with the princesses, it's a big honor for a slave."

"He wasn't a slave, he was…"

"What?" Frada asked, the tone of his voice absolutely indifferent.

"He was a friend," Jared said surprised at himself at such a definition of Bagoas, but at that moment he realized he was telling the truth.

"He saved your life but this is what slaves supposed to do, to save their master's lives but you insult Hephaistion's memory by declaring Bagoas your friend."

"How dare you bring Hephaistion's name up when you just killed his widow!" Jared was infuriated.  
>"I know that you hated Darius and all his family for what they did to your uncle, but to do this, to kill two innocent women!"<p>

"Enough of these pointless rhetoric, we need to be some place else."

"Maybe you do but I am not going with you anywhere. You threw Bagoas and Darius' daughters in this well as if they were rabid dogs."

"I am not going to threaten you with your life, you clearly don't hold it dear," said Frada, "but if you won't go with me voluntarily, I will kill other people that you hold dear. I'll start with Sostratos, then Peridemos, then Theocles. I can manage others too. Now, let's go."

"I have to say goodbye to Bagoas first," Jared said, defeated. Frada, just like Alexander before, was clever enough to threaten him with the lives of other people, he would ignore eunuch's threats to his own.

"Do it quickly," ordered Frada and took a few steps aside.

Jared went to the well and put his hands on the roughly hewn stones of the structure.

"I am so sorry, Bagoas," he said and feeling the tears on his cheeks he angrily wiped them away. "It's my entire fault. I should have listened to you when you said it was a dangerous place. I am sorry for all the grief I brought you and insults, I really didn't mean them. I just wanted to avenge the grief you brought to Hephaistion, you know. But it was silly to blame you, I should have blamed Alexander. But now you all dead, and Darius' daughters too. I thought I was going to save lives but instead I just go from one funeral to another. Please forgive me, I will hold your memory dear as long as I continue to draw a breath. Rest in peace, and take care of the princesses, their souls must be frightened and lonely in this dark and god forgotten place."

Jared took a few steps away and watched in a grim silence as the body of the second princess went down the well. He collected three pebbles from the ground, one for each departed soul and threw them one by one down, mentally calling the name of the each dead person when the pebble went down. The well was very deep, he didn't hear either the stones hitting the ground or the bodies. He cast the last glance to the grim structure and went to where Frada was waiting for him. Following the eunuch, Jared stepped into yet another poorly lit corridor but Frada pulled him aside and stood there in the opening, watching. Jared also could still see the place and to his horror he saw how the soldiers killed all four servants and started to dispose of their bodies the same way as those poor souls just disposed of princesses and Bagoas.

Jared turned aghast to Frada but the eunuch coldly said, "They knew too much and besides, the princesses need more than just one servant in the afterlife."

"You are a monster!" exclaimed Jared but Frada shrugged his shoulders and said, "I wonder if you said the same to Alexander when he was slaughtering Cosseans and I can bring other innumerable examples. Let's move on."

Jared said nothing and doddered after the eunuch. After some time the soldiers caught up with them. One, probably the commander of this small unit, went ahead and whispered a few words to Frada and then fell behind joining the rest of the crew. Again they crisscrossed the palace but this time Jared noticed that they didn't take any public routs. At some moment Jared felt mildly surprised that Frada knew the palace so well. After all, what he knew about him from Damian, didn't support this knowledge but he pushed the thought aside. Those surprises hold no more attraction to Jared.

Jared lost all track of time and space. He suspected that it was late evening and Sostratos must be mad by now that Jared broke his promise. "He probably sent somebody to Roxana to check my whereabouts. I hope her eunuch will keep his mouth shut. But even if Sinsada would take them to that cursed well, the place is empty by now, all they'll find there is the Bagoas' fresh blood and probably that of the poor servants, I doubt the solders cared to wash it off. The well is too deep to see anything down, poor Sostratos will think the worst, I fear. Whatever they were in the past, who knows what Frada's plans is for me now…"

More time was spent meandering through the palace and then Jared noticed that Frada was making some signs with his torch in the air. After the moment he saw the flickering of the torches further the corridor and Frada, after stopping for a moment when he was waiting for response, resumed his walk. After a few metres Jared saw other soldiers on guard before some unimposing door. He thought that he recognized one of them but he couldn't place the face. Before opening the door, Frada turned to the captain of the guards who followed them and said, "Take a few people with you and go to Sostratos. Tell him that Laertes is fine and is with me. He can take everybody and come here. Just make sure you're not followed."

The captain saluted his acknowledgement and went away taking a few men with him. Frada pushed the door open and invited Jared inside. All the soldiers remained outside. They didn't stay in the first room but followed further. They went through the second, more spacious room where there were few more soldiers; they were alert and it seemed like Frada was the one to whom they reported. They entered yet another room. It looked like a spacious bedroom and there were a few side tables and low couches. There were no open windows and the room was lit entirely by torches. The curtains were smoothly moving indicating the draft from somewhere. "It is done," Frada announced to the emptiness of the room. "Everything went well and according to the plan, almost." He sat on one of the couches and indicated to Jared to take another.

For a wild moment there Jared imagined that either Hephaistion or Alexander, or even they both will appear from behind the curtains. It was neither of them but Jared was no less shocked to see who it really was.

"Drypetis!" he exclaimed in disbelieve.

The princess was still wearing her dark mourning clothes but Jared watched as the paleness of her skin became tinged with pink as she nodded with satisfaction in her eyes to Frada.

"All of them?" she asked disregarding Jared's presence.

"Yes," responded Frada and smiled. "It couldn't have turned better. Ahuramazda was with us."

"As he should have been," said the princess. Then she turned her glance to Jared, "I thought the agreement was that you first bring me the news and then we ask Sostratos to bring Laertes here."

"This is why I said "almost". He and Bagoas appeared out the blue near the well. Laertes almost got killed by the guards but Bagoas wasn't so lucky."

Drypetis thought for a moment and then said, "Even better, I always disliked that eunuch even back in my father's days when I was still a girl. He always was a nuisance and father was obsessed with him, just as Alexander later, I was told. But enough of him; Laertes, why you were there?"

Jared remained silent. He was still too shocked by Drypetis' presence whom he considered dead just moments ago. He sent prayers for her but she was well and very much alive. All that was happening too quickly for Jared. Instead of answering the question he turned to Frada and said in accusatory voice.

"You made me to believe that those two dead bodies were Drypetis and Stateira. Why?"

"You didn't answer Princess' question," Frada said instead, "and I asked you the same question before. So?"

As much as Jared wanted to leave Roxana out of it, he knew that if not him, then Sostratos will tell the truth. There was no point to hide.

"Roxana sent for me Lycos, the head of her bodyguard. He brought a lot of soldiers with him and though Sostratos wasn't outnumbered, Lycos threatened to bring more. I just wanted to avoid bloodshed and convinced Sostratos to let me go."

"Roxana, that bitch!" exclaimed Drypetis.

"She did nothing wrong to you," said Jared. He suddenly realized that he liked all those people whom he was supposed to hate because of Hephaistion and unfortunately didn't hold any warm feelings towards those whom he was supposed to like. "In any way, the Queen felt lonely and simply asked for my company," Jared used the Queen title on purpose, he knew that officially Roxana never really was called that, only Stateira. To his surprise, Drypetis didn't object. "I told her a nice story, just as she asked me, and then when we were about to leave, I remembered…." Jared stopped because he had no idea how to explain his impulse to Drypetis and Frada. Thankfully, Perdiccas' wrong assumption of who he really was popped up in his mind and he continued, "I can see the future sometimes. I didn't want it to be widely known; only a few people were into this secret. Some time ago, even before I joined Alexander at Susa, I saw in my mind the bodies of two women wrapped in the dark drapery lying on the floor of some courtyard, and then they were thrown into the well. Like with the rest of my visions I don't know how but I knew that they were you and Stateira. This is why I asked Bagoas if he knew about any well within the palace with not so good reputation. Unfortunately, he did and I forced him to take me there. I wish I didn't."

"Did you see the death of my husband and Alexander's too?" asked Drypetis.

"Yes."

"This is why you came to Susa?" the princess asked again.

"Yes," confirmed Jared and decided to continue with his explanation. "But I didn't know how they were supposed to die. I saw Hephaistion sitting on the bed, eating chicken and drinking wine and then he was dead. It made no sense. Same about Alexander, I saw him drinking with Nearchus and Medius and then I saw him dead too."

"Did you warn them about it?" asked Frada.

"No, but they suspected that something was wrong, that the weddings in Susa weren't the real reason why I and Gavalos came. In the end, Hephaistion didn't die because he ate chicken and drank wine, or at least I was told so but he did died in his bed. With Alexander too. We were told the king went to Nearchus farewell party and then he joined Medius for some other sort of celebration, but he died some ten days after those parties, not right away. Same with you, princess. I am happy to see you well and alive. What about your sister?"

"She is on the bottom of that well, your vision was right about her."

Jared was shocked. "Does it mean that you ordered the death of your own sister, princess? Who was another woman? Her servant?"

"No, it was Parisatis," informed him Drypetis with a glee; the tone of her voice sent even more shivers down Jared's spine.

"Why?" was all he could manage at the moment.

"Because if not for them and my precious grandmother, I would be holding Hephaistion's child right now in my hands."

"What do you mean?" Jared stared at Drypetis.

"I mean that I was pregnant and they made sure I wasn't!" shouted Hephaistion's widow, trembling. "Happy now or you still want to mourn those bodies in the well?"

"Why, why would they do such a thing?" asked Jared, aghast.

"Because they couldn't swallow the fact of me having a child before them! But how those two ever wanted to get pregnant when they spent more time in each other's beds then in Alexander's?!"

"You mean that your sister and Parisatis were lovers?"

"On and off for a long time now. Parisatis introduced Stateira to this and then my sister couldn't get enough. Remember Sridevi?"

"Who is that?"

"The mistress of your girl Phaspalla who got killed. Remember her?"

"Yes, of course. Did her death have anything to do with…. eh, your sister's preferences in bed?"

"Yes. All was right while Phaspalla was serving Sridevi. The Indian wench was as insatiable in bed as my sister. They couldn't get enough of each other. My grandmother wasn't happy and she became even less happy when the marriages in Susa took place. While Stateira was spending nights with Sridevi giving Alexander one excuse after another, Parisatis enjoyed occasional visit from the king and she tried to make the best of it, especially because she resented the fact that my sister abandoned her in favor of some Indian girl. Phaspalla knew about her mistress preferences and with whom she was spending most of her time, when she wasn't beating her servants, that is.

My grandmother did her best not to allow this secret to leave the rooms of her granddaughter's apartments but when Roxana invited Phaspalla back to serve her, my grandmother got scared that the secret will be out. This is why she ordered to kill Phaspalla and then used her death as an excuse to get rid of Sridevi too. My sister wasn't too much upset about the loss of her lover, she went back to Parisatis teaching her all the tricks she learnt from Sridevi. My sister's lust was back in the family circle."

"But you are also Sisigambis' granddaughter. Why would SHE want your child dead?" asked Jared.

"Because my grandmother never liked me. I was my mother's darling and she always hated my mother. Grandmother said that she had too much influence over my father, she made him weak. This is why my grandmother found Bagoas and brought him into my father's bed. "I took one Bagoas from you and I give you another," she said. It was my grandmother who poisoned my father's mind against Frada's uncle, Bagoas. She was afraid of the all-powerful Chiliarch though she plotted with him to get rid of the previous line of Great Kings in the beginning."

"And your sister was your father's darling?" asked Jared.

"No, my sister was always my grandmother's darling. It is said that she looked like her when grandma was young. My brother Cyros was my father's favorite. I think it's what got him killed."

"What do you mean?" inquired Jared though he wasn't sure he wanted to know. While he and Damian tried to grasp the intrigues of Alexander's court, it seems that the Royal Harem was even more vicious nest of vipers.

"Well, you see," continued her explanations Drypetis whom Jared suddenly started to see in a more favorable light, "my grandmother always wanted power; she was the daughter of our king Ahasuerus whom you Greeks call Artaxerxes Mnemon and despised the fact that she was married off to a mere satrap, not that much important, by the way, she wanted to become another Atossa."

"Who is Atossa?" Jared regretted his ignorance of the Persian royal family tree.

"Atossa was the daughter of king Cyros the Great and wife of king Darius who invaded the Greece. She had a huge influence on her husband and her sons because of her parentage. She shed a lot of blood too, if the rumours are true. Back to my grandmother. She was also a daughter of the king but her husband was not. I doubt he wanted to be one but it didn't hold her. If she couldn't get a crown for her husband she was determined to get one for her son, my father. I don't know how but she managed to convince Bagoas, I mean Frada's uncle of course, to join forces with her. The rumor has it that once they were lovers but Ahasuerus found out and castrated him. It's difficult to believe though, Bagoas would be tortured and killed for seducing the king's daughter.

In any case, they plotted well together and achieved the goal, my father became a King and my grandmother could have considered herself happy but she wasn't satisfied that easily. First, she got rid of Bagoas. Then she started to look for the ways to make her son as great as Cyros or Xerxes. But my father just wanted a quiet life and didn't have any grand aspirations. Then Alexander came. My grandmother realized that there was still a chance to have a son who would become the greatest Persian' king. After the defeat at Issus she happily adopted Alexander as her son though my father was still alive. My brother Cyros was an obstacle because she thought he would prove as weak as his father and could be used by other as counterweight to Alexander's claim to power over Persia. Even then she had plans to marry Stateira to Alexander. Their offspring would be still her flesh and blood. So Cyros was eliminated, I don't even know how his life ended but my husband did."

"You mean Hephaistion knew that Sisigambis killed Cyros?"

"Yes, I don't know how he found out. My grandmother hated him because of it and because she mistook him for Alexander. How couldn't she recognize a true king or what right Hephaistion had to look as majestic and noble as the best of the kings? So now you understand why she didn't hesitate to kill our unborn child?"

"Yes, but….," Jared was too shaken by all those news and revelations. For some time he didn't know how to continue; then at last he managed, "Did Hephaistion know that you were pregnant?"

"No. I wanted to surprise him when he returned to Babylon, I couldn't imagine that I would be meeting his embalmed body instead of a living person."

"So, you didn't tell him that you miscarried either?"

"No, what was the point and what could I say, that my own sister, her cousin and my grandmother did it? I didn't want to burden him with it. He wouldn't want to say it to Alexander and he hated to keep any secrets from him. I thought he would come back to Babylon and we'll have another baby. I would insist he'll take me to Arabia, or maybe I would tell him what happened to his first child later. But it didn't come to pass…."

"You loved Hephaistion, didn't you?" asked Jared with compassion. Suddenly the murder of Stateira and Parisatis didn't seem such a big crime.

"I think I did, I still do," whispered Drypetis, "loving one's husband is a luxury; being loved back is even a bigger one. Hephaistion treated me well but he loved only Alexander."

"You knew?"

"Of course, it was an open secret or no secret at all. I can't say I didn't mind but I could live with it. All husbands have lovers, numerous lovers. Hephaistion had just one and that one was the King himself. It would be stupid to complain. I would be a good wife to him, I truly would…"

"I believe you," Jared sighed. "What happened to your grandmother?"

"I walled her up alive," said hitherto silent Frada. "And rest assured, I let her know why I was doing it."

"Oh…." was only Jared's reaction and he thought, "After all, the sources were right, she did die from starvation, only it wasn't of her own choosing."

"How did you manage to organize it all so quickly?" he asked after some time passed in heavy silence.

"So quickly?" asked Frada, "It took us months."

"What do you mean, months? Alexander is dead for only a week or so."

"Eight days, actually," said Frada. "Alexander's untimely death simply speeded the events. We were going to do it after the king's departure for Arabia."

"And then what? How would you explain the disappearance of the king's two wives and Sisigambis?"

"We wouldn't be around to give the explanation and somebody would have to answer for disappearance of all of us. We were going to leave. Drypetis, I and some of Hephaistion's people who didn't want to continue to serve the king."

"How would you leave and where?"

"It's not that difficult," assured him Frada, "I have a lot of means at my disposure, and Drypetis too. We wouldn't starve. We would go to some of the farthest Greek colonies and live there our lives unrecognized. It's all prearranged already, we just have to drop Peridemos at Athens and you at Siwah."

"How do you know about Siwah?"

"When I left Ecbatana, I got instructions from Hephaistion that if anything happens to him to make sure that you two got to those places. I couldn't imagine that I was going to act on those instructions."

"Why did you leave Ecbatana?" suddenly remembered Jared.

"Hephaistion got a letter from Ashara, Mazaeus' widow. She sent it with one of her sons. When Hephaistion left Susa and all the royal women were about to leave for Babylon, Hephaistion asked her to keep an eye on Drypetis. I doubt that anybody knew anything about it. Hephaistion was very close with Mazaeus and was a frequent guest in his house when Alexander's army came first to Babylon. Ashara often visited Drypetis in Babylon, I guess Sisigambis didn't suspect anything despite that she obviously knew how close Hephaistion and Mazaeus were. Drypetis miscarried because she was given a drink by Stateira. The drink was laced with herbs that caused miscarriage, it's a common knowledge inside the women's quarters. The drink was given in public and Drypetis didn't suspect anything. She felt sick and had to leave the gathering. None of the guests even knew that she was pregnant. She miscarried a few hours later in her bedroom. Stateira and Sisigambis were there, they didn't even bother to pretend and told her the truth as is.

Ashara visited a few days later, she was concerned about Drypetis' health. The princess couldn't tell her anything because her sister was present but Ashara wasn't a fool, she saw that something was wrong and sent a message to Hephaistion, this is why I was dispatched to Babylon to check what was going on. I returned to the city but couldn't at first get access to Drypetis and then the disaster struck – we got news about Hephaistion's death. Drypetis was so broken with grief that Sisigambis decided it was wise to allow me to visit her. I could have complained to Alexander and Sisigambis knew it wouldn't go well. I can only guess why she didn't dispose of her youngest granddaughter right away. Maybe some higher powers interfered."

Jared noticed how Drypetis paled while Frada was telling the story. "Poor thing," he thought compassionately, how many times she had to relive those awful days. No wonder she hates her sister, grandmother and Parisatis so much. Hephaistion could have had a child! I wonder if he would survive or also perish in the dynastic wars; such a child, especially a boy, would have more rights to the Persian throne than Alexander's child by Roxana and who knows, maybe Persian nobility would rally behind him as they didn't behind Alexander IV, let alone Heracles. But these speculations are mute now, the child wasn't given a chance to be even born."

"Do you think your grandmother and sister have anything to do with Hephaistion's and Alexander's death?" he asked instead.

"I thought about it," quietly said Drypetis. "I don't know, my husband – maybe, but my grandmother was too obsessed with Alexander to have him killed. I thought of going to Alexander with it but even if he would believe me, what could he do? I doubt he would kill them, so I decided to kill them myself. I knew that Frada would support me and I wasn't mistaken."

"What about Sostratos and others?"

"You were always in company of Alexander or Perdiccas and though we knew of no reason why my grandmother or sister would want you dead, Frada insisted on taking additional precautions. At the time Theocles, your page, was already a part of the plan to eliminate my sister and others. I thought he was ready to kill them with his bare hands when he learnt what they did. He was very dedicated to Hephaistion and after his death stayed with the Alexander's army only because he knew Hephaistion would want him to continue to be your page. Frada showed him a few hidden spots that surrounded your apartment and gave him a few of other men who joined our group. This is how he learned about your conversation with Perdiccas. He couldn't hear a lot of details and those that he heard didn't make much sense to him but he heard that Perdiccas gave you three days to come up with some answer and threatened you that otherwise he would kill you."

"Perdiccas never threatened to kill me," interjected Jared.

"Maybe so, but Theocles felt it was prudent to warn Frada and they both went to Alexander. It seems that the king made more sense of your conversation and he ordered what he ordered. Frada suggested Sostratos as a head of your bodyguards because he was already involved with us, and Alexander said that he was thinking about Sostratos himself. Though my husband and Perdiccas were close, Sostratos never liked the general so Alexander was sure that he won't let him through. A few days before his death, Alexander called Sostratos and extolled an oath from him that he would make sure that you were safe and him and Frada would take you to Siwah."

Jared leaned back to the cushions. It was so much information to absorb in one day and suddenly he realized that his visit to Roxana and Bagoas' death felt like it happened many days ago whereas just hours passed.

"So, now what?" he asked tiredly.

"We leave tomorrow night, we can't wait for Alexander's funeral. Everything is arranged already."

"I have to say my goodbyes to Perdiccas and Leonnatus at least."

"You can't," very firmly informed him Frada. "I am sure I don't have to explain you why."

Jared sighed. He knew that Frada was right, but it wasn't fair.

"I don't know where you're going from Siwah," Frada said, "and Hephaistion said not to ask you this question but if you wish, in a few years or so, when we settled and make sure that nobody is looking for us, I can send an anonymous message to them saying that you were safe and fine, at least at the time you left Babylon."

"No need," Jared said and thought to himself, "by that time they both will be dead."

O

PS – dear friends, this is the end of the second book of my story, the book of Tripolis. One more book left but I don't think I will have time to write the next chapter before January. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I hope you're interested enough to follow this story till the end.


	26. Book of Angeles, Ch 1

Title: Alexander Revisited

Disclaimer # 1: I am fully aware that the movie with the same title exists (on DVD); this story was born out of that movie but took a turn to AU where it would reside with no intention of coming into a conflict with the original creation.

Disclaimer # 2: This story is a pure fiction. I don't know the real people involved; anything they do and say in my story has nothing to do with the actual lives of those people.

A/N # 1 - Thank you, my wonderful friends, who read and commented on the chapters that I already posted. My special regards to those who commented for the first time and who added this story to their favorites and story alert. It would be also wonderful to hear the thoughts of those who read the story but didn't voice their opinion yet. Thank you all.

O

If one was to use just a bit of the imagination, it would be easy to envision Jared sleeping peacefully in the bed. But as much as Colin tried, the effort didn't bring any results. All he could see was a grim reality of his friend lying in the hospital bed, his arms bandaged from the wrists to elbows, his face pale and exhausted. Colin turned his head slightly right, to where Oliver was sitting. He couldn't see the director's face buried in the open palms of his arms, elbows resting on the knees but the actor could guess that his thoughts were as dark as his own.

Were they wrong when they pushed Jared to go back to the past, were they too enthusiastic of this opportunity that was not theirs to take? What happened to Jared, a person seemingly unperturbed by the challenges of life that crashed him so thoroughly that he wanted to take his own life? Colin tried to decide whether what happened to Jared would have the same effect on him if he was the one with ability to go between past and present. He thought he was stronger but then again, without experiencing it, how one was to know for sure?

Not that he and Oliver had easy time waiting restlessly for Jared's and Damian's return. Just like Jared, they kept their own calendar, trying to trace the events that were happening in Alexander's time and fruitlessly guessing what was going on. They filmed at the different locations, but made an effort to take their ladies to the restaurant when Susa's mass wedding took place; unintentionally though subconsciously on purpose, they quarreled with their colleagues during the Opis mutiny and berated their accountants for some imaginary misconduct when Hephaistion's and Eumenus quarrel happened in Ecbatana. They didn't eat chicken and didn't drink any wine during the time that corresponded to the month of October 324 BC and prayed that Jared and Damian were successful in their first mission of saving Hephaistion's life.

The time between end of that fateful October and middle of June of the following year was a blur of sleepless nights, constant phone conversations and messages. And then after June the waiting became truly unbearable. As days passed by and there were no news from Jared and Damian, Colin and Oliver spoke several times each day trying to convince each other that no news was good news. And then, out of blue, or so they thought, Jared sent them both messages asking to meet with him in two days in some roadside motel at the outskirts of Los Angeles. Jared didn't respond back to the frantic messages that they both sent him and Colin and Oliver had to satisfy themselves with guesses and hopes for the two longest days in their lives.

When they finally met Jared, he was already in shambles. He retold the events with bitterness and frustration of person who had no power over what was going on with him and around him. When Jared's story was over and Colin and Oliver started to ask questions, Jared winced at each one as if he was lashed in punishment. Not for a single moment they thought to accuse their friend of any wrongdoings or bad decisions but Jared's mind was made up, it was his entire fault. He convinced himself that he did everything wrong, that every his decision was faulty including the last one to return instead of remaining in Babylon and helping out Perdiccas, maybe dying with him.

In the beginning, there was hope that Jared would mentally recuperate and return to the modern life. But days passed, then weeks, and Jared was no better. It didn't make their task easier that news of Jared's return after the sudden disappearance started to float in the media with rumors one wilder than the other. Colin's and Oliver's constant presence helped to guide those rumors into the same path, namely that Oliver was eager to create yet another version of Alexander but Jared refused to participate.

The trio didn't dispel the rumors, Jared because he didn't care and Colin and Oliver because it was easier to go with this version than to invent their own. Jared's brother Shannon, whom Colin wanted to join their forces to help Jared to cope with reality, flatly refused the invitation saying that he don't have a brother anymore. Colin knew that Shannon was mad at Jared's disappearance and didn't argue accepting his decision as another confirmation of the fact that the secret should remain between the three of them.

And then one evening, left alone, Jared cut his wrists. He was saved by paparazzi, of all people, who managed to steel into his hotel room hoping for a scoop. And now they were here, in a private hospital hidden in the grove of palm trees in the suburbs of Los Angeles. Colin came back from his reverie and turned his head again looking at Oliver. As if sensing the glance, the director looked up at the unsmiling face of the actor.

"I need a fresh air," Oliver said tonelessly, "there is an inner courtyard with a fountain, I'll be there for some time."

"It's all right," Colin nodded. "I'll wait here, just in case."

Oliver stood up and stretched his tired body. He sat in the same position for a long time and felt fettered by invisible bonds. He quietly went to the door and soundlessly opening it, exited without making any noise. He was half way to his destination, when one of the nurses hurried in his direction.

"Mr. Stone, there are two visitors at the outer gates. They said they brought what you asked for."

"I didn't ask anybody for anything."

"One of them said his name was Neil Jackson."

Oliver frowned. None of the actors from Alexander would make him to agree to the meeting now but Neil was an exception. Neil and real life Perdiccas whom the actor played in the movie were those indispensable personages without whom the story wouldn't happened. "But if he brought another set of black stones, I am going to strangle him with my bare hands," thought Oliver but said aloud, "Oh, yes, I completely forgot. Bring them to the fountain in the inner garden. Who is the second person?"

"The security probably has his name but I didn't ask. Should I inquire first?"

"No need. I'll see them both."

_Earlier that day._

Neil flicked mindlessly through the TV channels. Hardly anything interesting could be expected at seven in the morning but he wanted to distract himself from the nagging headache he had. He remembered drinking for several days in the row in a company of people he cared nothing about and whose feelings towards him were mutual. He couldn't even remember for sure what made him to stop and take a taxi to his own place, but here he was, having an awful but logical headache after many days of debauching and almost a whole day of sleeping it all off.

There were times when he blamed Colin Farrell for introducing him to the non-stop drinking parties. His Alexander's co-star was an A-list celebrity and carousing in his company seemed like a good idea at the time. But somehow Colin managed to move on and continue with his indestructible carrier whereas he, Neil Jackson, continued partying and moving in the circles that sometimes were far from even named B-listed in Hollywood. But it was far easier to stop blaming Colin than forgetting about the fun times of shooting Alexander. Though for many it was just another movie and he read in the press that some of his fellow actors even regretted taking part in it, Neil always remembered it with nostalgia and unexplainable desire to leave through the experience time and again.

After the botched version of Alexander Revisited Neil hoped that Oliver, still unsatisfied with the result, will pull off another full blown version, but it didn't happened. After so many years, his hope became slimmer and slimmer but never disappeared completely.

"Damn Alexander, damn Perdiccas, damn….," Neil frowned as something on the TV screen caught his attention. He stared at the screen but all he could see was some over coiffed and under dressed matron preparing a complicated absurdity in the kitchen. He slowly started to flip the channels back and after the two clicks of his remote he was staring at the wet face of his former girlfriend reporting something about the bad weather on the grey late October morning somewhere on the LA coast.

"I didn't see her before," mildly amused thought Neil and was about to change the channel when the camera moved bringing into the spotlight the face of the man that caught his attention in the first place.

"Laertes?" Neil stared at the screen trying to hit the sound button that was on mute all this time.

There could be no doubt, though he knew the man for only a few days and it was almost ten years ago, one hardly could forget his face. "What is he doing there?" murmured Neil trying to get the gist of the report.

He didn't have any time to absorb the situation. The camera danced for a few more moments on the Laertes face, glided over his body wrapped in the towel and then over the ambulance with a group of people arguing about something. And then it was back to the studio with morning anchor, an over cheerful young lady still talking to his ex-girlfriend reporter.

"So, Anastasia," the anchor savored the long name of the reporter though Neil knew for sure that it was hated by its bearer who preferred to be called Stacy, "the boy is safe with his parents and doesn't need any medical attention?"

"Well," Anastasia pleasantly smiled into the camera and slightly shook her hair making the droplets of rain to shine like tiny diamonds on her brown curls," Aiden was allowed to be taken back home bypassing the visit to the hospital only because the ambulance personal confirmed that he suffered no injuries and because his father assured everybody that their personal family physician is on his way. Though it looks like police is going to investigate how it happened that the boy managed to sneak out of the house in the wee hours of the morning and would have drowned if not the good Samaritan, a homeless man who spent the night sleeping on the sand, heard Aiden's cries for help."

"Thank you, Anastasia," the anchor said, "we'll definitely hear more in future about this accident." The face of the reporter disappeared from the screen and the anchor continued to discourse about the lack of proper supervision over the children in the big mansions."

"A homeless man….," Neil mused. Somehow the idea didn't sit right with him. "Something is wrong with this picture." He found his cell phone and scrolled to Anastasia's name. He still had her number, they didn't exactly split but just drifted apart.

"Hey, Stacy," he said cheerfully when he heard the curious "Hello?" on the other side, "since when you are a morning person? I remember you were interested in the evening news only."

"Hey, stranger," Anastasia's voice wasn't reluctant, "I go where the news are and have no power over the time of the day when they happen. What's up?"

"Just saw your reportage from the beach. Where are you?"

"Since when YOU are the morning person?" the reported laughed, "I am going back to the studio, want to convince my boss to make a follow up story. If only I can get access to the mansion where the boy lives. I've heard through the grapevine that paps are already besieging it."

"What happened to that homeless man, Laertes?"

"Why are you asking?" Neil could discern the notes of suspicion creeping into his girlfriend voice.

"Is it a secret?"

"Well…" Anastasia tried to decide the best response.

"If you answer the question, I may help you to get inside that house. Maybe."

"All right," Anastasia decided it wasn't a big secret anyway, "the parents gracefully invited him to stay for some time in their place. I think they promised him to find some permanent dwelling and job afterwards. If nothing else, he could work as a lifeguard though I think with a proper care, he would make an excellent model. I have to admit, I have difficulty to avert my gaze from his body let alone his face."

Anastasia was expecting to hear some admonishing words from her former boyfriend, but they never came. Instead, Neil asked, "So, what happened, I missed the beginning of your reportage."

"Why are you so interested?"

"I can get you into the mansion, if you wish. Just find out the address."

"How? They are big shots, don't you know?"

"That might be, but I know Laertes for some ten years. He is not a homeless thug, believe me."

"I never said he was a thug. How d'you know him?"

"I see we have a lot to tell each other. Can we meet?"

Anastasia thought but only for a moment, and then she asked, "You are not lying to me, are you? You really know him?"

"Yes," Neil confirmed.

"All right. Let's meet at the "Wings", as we used to. How soon you can get there?"

"By ten or so."

"All right, I'll wait if anything."

"Gods must be with me today," thought Neil sipping the hot chocolate in the bar and listening to Anastasia's story. Aiden, ten years old son of the very rich even by Beverly Hills measures parents, was a spoiled brat who used to get what he wanted. In addition to not having any financial restrains the boy was also very smart and adventurous and managed to get into the trouble more often than not. This time, being sure of the literal meaning of his swim teacher that he could swim as a fish, he decided to prove it to himself and to the others. He even decided to raise the plank higher and go for a swim alone in the ocean during the night. It took him some days to plan his escape but on the night when he thought he was ready, the ocean was stormy and the night sky covered in clouds. Instead of postponing the challenge, he decided that the adventure gods were on his side and really wanted to test him.

It wasn't clear what exactly transpired but he managed to get to the shore only in the early hours of the morning. The water and the air were cold and chilly, the weather in LA was at its lowest for this time of the year, but Aiden braved it all and plunged into the water. He didn't make it far when he started to drawn.

"Enter your friend Laertes," with the aplomb of the practiced storyteller continued Anastasia, "all he told us was that he was sleeping and then suddenly heard the cries for help. He thinks Aiden's cries woke him up though I can't imagine how a man sleeping on the shore, even very close to the ocean, can hear boy's screams over the rash of the water. But the fact remains, he woke up, sprinted to the water and dragged Aiden ashore. The boy was still conscious and it took just a few slaps on his back to help him to get rid of the water that entered his lungs.

Luckily for both of them, somebody saw them from the balustrade not far from the spot and called ambulance and police. In the meantime they had nothing to warm themselves with because both were drenched with cold water. Laertes first made the boy to run after him to generate some heat in the body but when the first onlookers joined the scene, he managed to start up the fire from something he found on the shore and cigarette lighter somebody had at their disposal. Then ambulance arrived, police as well, and Aiden's parents whom he wisely called using someone's cellphone."

"And how did you joined the circus?" asked Neil.

"It wasn't a circus, the boy could have drowned if not for your friend. I don't know why but I had this crazy idea of making a reportage about a bad weather in the Beverly Hills in October. Go figure. You still didn't tell me how you know this Laertes?"

"Long story," said Neil not wishing to go into the details. "Do you know where they live?"

"Yes," Anastasia said, "but I am not giving you an address without you telling me how you know him."

"I can tell you how I know him or I can get you access inside the house. What would you prefer?"

"Both."

Neil pushed an empty glass away and leaned back on the chair. He remained silent for a few moments and then said, "You know, I can find out the address from somebody else…"

"Cheater!" Anastasia exclaimed indignantly.

"Not at all," Neil smiled, "but I want to honour my promise. Here is a new deal. You give me an address. I will go and visit my friend Laertes and you go to your boss to ask whether he wants a story or not. Maybe he doesn't then why bother? If he does, I can get you inside the house, if he doesn't, I'll tell you how I know Laertes. Agreed?"

Anastasia looked at her former boyfriend. None of them was especially faithful while their relationship lasted but Neil never lied to her on purpose. "Very well, I don't know why I am doing it, but here it is," and she copied the address from her cell phone into the piece of paper.

"Thank you, my dear," Neil smiled and planted a friendly kiss on the offered cheek, "let me know how it went with your boss."

Anastasia's warnings were right, when Neil got to the fancy manor where Aiden family resided, a few paparazzi were already snooping around. He drove directly to the gate and got out of the car. Before he could press the button of the intercom, the sourly looking security guard showed himself from behind the structure.

"No visitors," he declared sternly.

Neil was glad that he thought about the matter on the way. His own name wouldn't open him any doors but he hoped that his acquaintance with the stars of Alexander could make the trick. If, of course, he uses the names correctly.

"I am not visiting. Oliver sent me," announced Neil trying to sound nonchalantly.

"Oliver Stone?" asked the guard as if wanting to confirm that they were talking about the same Oliver.

"Obviously," said Neil having no idea how the guard was able to figure it out.

"Wait here," the guard said more friendly and took a few steps away to call somebody on the phone. A few moments later he opened the gate and said, "You can get back into the car and drive to the main entrance. Somebody else will take you inside."

"Thanks," Neil nodded trying not to sound overly excited. He went back to his car and in a few minutes that took him to drive from the gates to the entrance he realized that the guard wasn't simply guessing the right Oliver. Most probably it was Laertes who told his hosts whom he knew in Los Angeles. Who knows, maybe they already contacted all the right people and Neil got himself now into the trouble misrepresenting his status.

He was ushered into the lavishly decorated hall and asked to wait. However, almost immediately, he heard the loud clicking of the high heels on the marble floor and a middle aged but rather young looking woman approached him gracefully extending her hand for a kiss.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," Neil kissed the hand with a proper decorum, "my name is Neil Jackson."

"The pleasure is mine," the woman smiled and travelled with her glance all over Neil's body before giving her own name. "I am Olivia Darren, Aiden's mother. I am sure I know you from somewhere. What's your connection to Mr. Stone and Mr. Farrell?"

"I played in Alexander."

"But of course," the woman smiled again but Neil was sure she had no idea whom he played. "We didn't really think that Laertes knows any of the people he mentioned, so it's a nice surprise. Did he also have a role in Alexander? I am not sure if I saw the movie but I would remember him! I can't understand how such good looking man can be homeless. Maybe he just made fun of us? He is clean shaven and doesn't smell bad. Wait!" the woman's eyes lit with sudden inspiration. "Is it one of Hollywood jokes? There was once a program when some Hollywood celebrity made pranks on unsuspecting people. What was his name?"

"Ashton Kutcher."

"Yes, him! What was the show name?"

"It was called "Punk'd" and he played jokes on other celebrities."

"I remember it now. Were you ever punk'd?"

"I am not that big of a celebrity."

"Oh, I didn't mean to insult," the woman laughed again.

"Don't worry, you didn't. So, can I see Laertes?"

"Of course. He is playing with my Aiden. My husband doesn't like it but I don't see any harm in it. Unless you tell me your friend Laertes is interested in boys?" Olivia cast an expectant look at her guest.

"I am not aware of that."

"I believe you. He must be a lady's man though I think he prefers young stupid chicks."

"Ma'am, he is in his early thirties, what would you expect?"

Olivia nervously laughed, "I expect nothing, I am happily married woman and I want what is best for my son."

"Of course," gravely nodded Neil trying to suppress the laughter. "So, can you take me to Laertes and your son?"

"They are in the upper terrace of the house. I hope you'll share a light lunch with us?"

"I would gladly but Oliver wanted to see Laertes immediately. So, maybe some other time but I would love to return here with Laertes for a visit," declared Neil remembering his promise to Anastasia.

"Of course," Olivia assured him. "Now, tell me," and the woman lightly touched him of the forearm, "Is it true Mr. Stone and Mr. Farrell are in the hospital for several days not leaving Jared Leto's side? Was it an overdose just like Hearth Ledger?"

"I wouldn't know," Neil smiled politely making the best use of his acting abilities. He was dying to tell the woman to mind her own business such as looking after her trouble making son.

"A pity," Olivia signed. "Maybe you can find out for me when you come for a visit in a few days?"

Neil was saved by a maid who announced that the refreshments were ready. The moment later Aiden burst into the room demanding to see a new guest. Laertes and Thomas, Olivia's husband trailed behind the boy.

"Neil, my friend," exclaimed Hephaistion and, making a few steps forward, almost crashed the actor in the strong hug.

"Glad to see you too, man!" Neil returned the hug and looked Laertes over. He didn't changed much though there was a little more maturity in his whole image. But he was still as stunningly beautiful and self-assured as Neil remembered him from Siwah. "What happened to you, what is all that talk about you being a homeless sorry ass and sleeping on the beach?"

"Long story," Hephaistion laughed and none of the present people could see how he was trying to string the pieces together. "Do you think you can take me to Oliver and others?"

"That's why I am here. Ms. Darren excused us from sharing a lunch with them. But I promised to return, for both of us, when the things are settled."

"But I don't want you to go," Aiden stomped his foot.

"He is not your personal toy," boy's father announced gravely and though it suited their situation perfectly, Neil suspected that Mr. Darren wanted Laertes to go for completely different reason.

After the formal goodbyes and assurances to see each other in the near future, Neil managed to whisk Laertes to his own car.

"I've heard that Jared is in the hospital," asked Hephaistion after Neil started the car. "What happened?"

"I don't know for sure," at last the actor could stop pretending, "I am not part of their circle anymore, I only know what the rumors are."

"What are the rumors?"

"He tried to kill himself cutting his wrists. He was saved purely by chance."

"When did it happen?"

"Three days ago and I don't know any other details. A few years back he completely disappeared from the horizon and then he came back, some half a year ago. He was often seen in the company of Oliver and Colin and there were speculations that Oliver wanted to make yet another version of Alexander. But I wasn't in contact with any of them for a very long time. What about you?"

"Later. Do you know in what hospital Jared is?"

"Yes, we're going there."

"Good. How long will it take?"

"Hard to say, depends on traffic. Maybe an hour and a half. So, are you going to tell me anything or I am just a driver?"

"Don't be stupid but let's wait till we see Colin and Oliver, I'll have to tell them the same story so I might use this time to have a nap. I am deadly tired. By the way, do you know anything about Deidre? She was Oliver's assistant when I was on the set."

"You don't know? She died in that car crash that Colin survived purely by chance. Where have you been all this time?"

"She died?!" Hephaistion was shocked. "Jared didn't tell me anything."

"Oh, so when did you see Jared last?"

"It was after the Colin's accident because I knew about it from Jared."

"So, it was about the time when Jared disappeared from the public life. I feel there is some connection between Jared's disappearances and you. Is it right?"

"Nonsense. How did you find me here?"

"Purely by chance. I watched TV in the morning. It didn't happen to me often. Then I saw you and recognized my former girlfriend as a journalist who reported what happened. I got in touch with her and she gave me the address. I got no idea how I was going to get inside but it looks like you helped me by mentioning that you knew Oliver and Colin. Why did you do so?"

"Isn't it obvious? I didn't know anybody here and I was aware that their names are familiar to the public. Can I have some rest now?"

"Fine, I have no idea why I spoil you rotten."

Hephaistion mumbled something unintelligible and rested his head on the car's window. He had a lot to think about what was going on. Last thing he remembered was him writhing in pain in his bedroom in Ecbatana and the next thing he knew he woke up because of somebody's cries for help. Twenty three centuries divided those two moments of consciousness and gods only know how much distance.

"We are here," Neil lightly shook Laertes by shoulder, "wake up already."

Hephaistion opened his eyes. He wasn't really sleeping but his mind was going in circles trying to explain the unexplainable.

"Does Oliver know we're coming?" asked Hephaistion.

"No, I thought to leave it as a surprise. Truth be told, I am not sure we can get in as easily as I got to you. I hope Oliver still remembers my name. Maybe it's better to mention yours."

"I don't think it's a good idea. They don't expect me to show up. Just tell them you brought a friend. No names."

"It won't be easy," Neil admitted. "But I will try. What do you think I should say to the guards?"

Hephaistion narrowed his eyes wondering how much human nature changed in the last twenty three centuries. "Just tell the guard your name, without explaining who you are and say that you brought what Oliver asked you to."

"Which is what?"

Hephaistion shrugged his shoulder, "Doesn't really matter but if this won't work, he you can tell my name. But only if Oliver or Colin refuse to see you the first time."

"Fine," Neil agreed. "Let's try."

To their pleasant surprise, after some half an hour waiting, they were invited into the hospital and taken to the place where they were told Oliver Stone waited for them.

"You go first," quietly said Hephaistion when he saw Oliver's figure pacing back and forth near the fountain. Though he didn't see him in many years, the general had no problem recognizing the director.

Hephaistion stood behind the column while Neil moved forward on the lane that led to where Oliver was.

"What is this all about?" asked Oliver as if he last saw Neil just a day ago.

"Something came up," vaguely responded the actor and, following Hephaistion's advice, moved around Oliver forcing him to turn his back to the place where Hephaistion waited in hiding.

"What's something?" Oliver was too tired and genially upset with what happened to Jared to show the rude side of his character.

"I came across our common friend and thought that Jared would be happy to see him."

"Jared in no position to see anybody now," advised Oliver.

"Then maybe later," Hephaistion used the brief conversation of his friends to join them undiscovered. Oliver whirled around on the sound of the voice and stared in absolute disbelieve at the newcomer. Neil didn't see the expression of complete shock on Oliver's face but his body language betrayed a very unusual reaction.

Lacking any words to express his feelings, Oliver with the trembling hand touched Hephaistion's face as if trying to ascertain that it was a real man before him and not a ghost.

"As far as I know, I am for real so please don't pinch me too hard," Hephaistion tried to joke.

"But how?" at last managed Oliver.

"Your guess as good as mine," Hephaistion sadly smiled. "But maybe together we can figure something out. How is Jared?"

"Not good," Oliver shook his head, his hand was now probing Hephaistion's shoulder and he was still staring at him hard trying to absorb the reality.

"Can't say that I left him in a better state of affairs," admitted Hephaistion remembering that when he last saw Jared he was still unconscious after Damian hit him on the head. "But I understand many things changed between now and then. Alexander?" Hephaistion asked with hope.

Oliver shook his head in a negative motion, "I am sorry, my friend."

"I understand," Hephaistion sighed.

"What Alexander?" asked Neil who realized that the two were talking about the events that he had no knowledge of.

"A friend of mine," hastily explained Hephaistion and, wishing to change the subject, asked, "Where is Colin?"

"He is in the room with Jared. I think we should go and…. appraise him of this …. development. Neil, will you wait for us here?"

The actor wanted to object to such a proposition but Hephaistion intervened. "I think he should come with us. He found me and I think there is a reason behind the fact."

Neil was confused by this tirade even more but remained silent. "May be you are right," conceded Oliver, "shall we?" and with those words he headed back to the rooms where Colin still gloomily brooded over the almost lifeless body of Jared.

On their way back Oliver was silent but he touched Hephaistion all the time as if wishing to confirm that he wasn't daydreaming. He saw the puzzled glances that Neil cast in his direction but said nothing. "Wait till you hear the whole story," the idea lighted the heavy mood in which Oliver was for a long time till the miraculous appearance of Hephaistion. Suddenly the weight was lifted from Oliver and he broadly smiled and winked at Hephaistion, "Just our luck we are in the hospital, Colin is going to have a heart attack."

"I hope not," said Hephaistion but he didn't smile. The brief cryptic exchange of words he had with Oliver broke his hope that Alexander was somehow still alive. He will do his best to make sure that Jared was back to normal but whatever his unusual resurrection meant he had no desire to get on with his life without Alexander.


	27. Book of Angeles, Ch 2

Title: Alexander Revisited

Disclaimer # 1: I am fully aware that the movie with the same title exists (on DVD); this story was born out of that movie but took a turn to AU where it would reside with no intention of coming into a conflict with the original creation.

Disclaimer # 2: This story is a pure fiction. I don't know the real people involved; anything they do and say in my story has nothing to do with the actual lives of those people.

A/N # 1 - Thank you, my wonderful friends, who read and commented on the chapters that I already posted. My special regards to those who commented for the first time and who added this story to their favorites and story alert. It would be also wonderful to hear the thoughts of those who read the story but didn't voice their opinion yet. Thank you all.

O

Neil decided not to bother guessing what was going on, he felt it was an impossible task. Oliver's mood, from rudely morose changed to cheerfully delighted the moment he saw Laertes. Something was going on and Neil felt excited that the old days of shooting Alexander suddenly came back when he least expected it.

The three of them remained silent while going to Jared's room. Oliver happily smiled, his facial expression was a little on a silly side if anybody would be watching; Hephaistion's beautiful face was void of any emotions, his mental turmoil hidden deep inside and Neil was alight in anticipation of something unusual about to take place. They passed a nurse station in the otherwise empty corridor receiving pleasant but somewhat speculative smiles from its occupants. When they were just a few steps from their destination, the door opened and a doctor with nurse close at his heels exited Jared's room. He looked weary over the group and recognizing only Oliver, addressed him in a rather usual for many doctors tired and overburdened tone, "I would advise against so many visitors. We didn't give him additional dose of medication and he can wake up any moment now. Given the circumstances, I think he doesn't want any company. Any news from his mother or brother?"

"Isn't it in his chart that his mother broke her leg a week ago and as a result can't come for a visit? You have a signed release from her and Mr. Leto's brother for me and Mr. Farrell to handle any situation and for the last few days it was enough," Oliver put aside his newly found good mood and fished out his arrogant and official one. Why some doctors can't stick to their profession but start taking an unnecessary interest in the personal lives of their patients?

"Yes, but I thought at least his brother can come. It is a serious situation and though Mr. Leto will be provided with the best psychiatrist who specializes in suicide survival patients, the presence of the close relatives always a great help."

"What will be a great help is that you start working on Mr. Leto release documents from the hospital. He won't need help of any psychiatrist."

"Mr. Stone, I respect your Hollywood renown but shouldn't each of us stick to their own area of expertise? It will be completely irresponsible for me personally and for our hospital in general to release Mr. Leto home in his current condition. And though I am not going to forbid it, I still strongly advise against so many visitors."

Oliver was about to respond but Hephaistion forestalled his intention. "We all wish to act in Mr. Leto's best interest but it looks like we have difference of opinion. Let's wait till Jared wakes up and see what it is that HE wants."

The doctor almost said that the last think Jared Leto wanted was to take his own life but he realized it would ignite the situation further. He was aware of Stone's impulsive character and though he wasn't looking for a fight he realized that he almost managed to provoke one.

"Very well," he said, "let's wait till Mr. Leto is awake but please don't try to force it. We need the medication to wear off naturally. Please call me when it happens and then I will be able to assess his condition better. All I ask you is to be patient and considerate."

"Fine," Oliver agreed reluctantly. He cooled somewhat down after doctor's reconciliatory phrase. "We'll let you know when Jared is awake. Meantime, we don't want to keep you any longer from your responsibilities, I presume you have other patients to take care of."

The doctor didn't like to be treated in that manner though he was used to it. This private hospital catered to the wealthiest patients and the snobbish attitude was a norm. His resentfulness somewhat ebbed away when the unknown man who interfered before gave him another supportive and understanding glance. He threw a short "See you later" in the direction of the visitors and went away, the nurse still on his heels, though her departure was more reluctant then the doctor's. She paid little attention to the short squabble, she also was used to this type of behaviour as well as to the glamour and the attractiveness of the visitors who used mother nature and skills of plastic surgery to look their best. But never in her life did she see such an attractive man as Hephaistion, and she was struck numb the moment she saw him.

"You don't like doctors much, do you?" Hephaistion asked Oliver with a smile.

The director shrugged, "I don't like meddling ones, doctors or anybody else for that matter. And judging by your latest experiences, I don't see how you can like doctors yourself."

Hephaistion quietly laughed, "I guess I am a more forgiving type. Do you think Colin is still inside?"

"I hope so. The noise isolation is really good here; I presume he didn't hear us talking. But….," Oliver chewed on his lips for a few moments and then expressed his hesitation, "I am not sure whether all three of us should show up or I go first and warn him of your arrival."

"Open the door a little so that we can see what he is doing," said Hephaistion.

Oliver thought for a moment and followed the given advice. He quietly opened the door and could see Colin sitting on Jared's bed, his back to the entrance. Oliver stepped out of the way allowing Hephaistion and Neil to have a look.

"You two go inside and leave the door slightly ajar. Try to make Colin to remain with his back to the door," Hephaistion suggested.

Oliver nodded and entered the room inviting Neil to join him.

"How is he?" the director asked, the undiminished concern is obvious in his tone.

Recognizing Oliver's voice, Colin answered, not turning around. "No change, the sedative didn't wear itself yet but the doctor didn't add a new dose. He said he wanted Jared to wake up."

"I know, we met him at the doors."

"We?" asked Colin and looked up trying to see who else was there. But before he could see Oliver's companion he felt somebody's palms firmly pressed into his temples forestalling his intention to turn around. At the same moment he saw Neil stepping into his line of vision.

Colin tried to shake his captor off, "Really, guys, I am not in the mood," he attempted to ply the hands off.

"Hello, Colin," Neil greeted his former co-star, "long time no see. I think my friend wants you to figure out his name. May be we should play cold/warm game till you manage to guess."

"Don't be ridiculous," Colin said tiredly, "It's really not good place or time. Oliver, tell whoever it is off."

Oliver smiled, "Mr. Incognito here is not under my jurisdiction, I am afraid you are on your own. Mind you, most people would like to remain his captive forever."

"It's not funny," Colin grumbled. He thought that Oliver simply wanted to lighten his mood a little. The director himself looked unexpectedly happy and cheerful. The actor continued with his efforts to regain his freedom but realized he was going to fail unless he fights the person in real and he didn't want to disturb Jared's sleep on whose bed he was still sitting.

"Fine," he said at last, "Shannon?"

"Very cold," informed his Oliver.

"Gary Stretch?" ventured Colin guessing that if Neil was here his next best bet will be somebody from Alexander's cast.

"No, but it's definitely warmer; you are going in the right direction, Alexander," encouraged Oliver.

"All right," agreed Colin not very much sure what would happen if Jared wakes up now and see his former colleagues. Knowing his friend's weakness for Perdiccas, he would probably be happy to see Neil, but who else? He went through the main male cast of Alexander, his last guess having been Francisco Bosch.

"Alexander, be reasonable!" Neil repeated the famous phrase with a smirk, "Bagoas? Really? This is whom you think Hephaistion would like to see?"

"Considering he saved his life recently," said Colin not realizing at first that Neil wouldn't understand him."

Before Neil could express his puzzlement at what Colin just said, the Irishman felt his head being released from the firm grasp and he heard the voice of the man whom he never thought ever to see again, "How did THAT happen?"

Though not held captive anymore, Colin went still, frozen on the spot. He felt as if his body turned to stone, cast into statue under Medusa's deadly glare. His thoughts, too quick to hold onto, darted in every direction creating a blurry picture before his eyes. He was saved from the slipping into abyss by the same very voice that brought such turmoil into his consciousness.

"Did I say something wrong?" worriedly asked Hephaistion looking in Oliver's direction.

"Hey, hey," the director rushed to Colin seeing how the actor first went pale, then ashen, "I am really not on good terms with doctors here, I would hate to give another patient into their care."

"It was just a joke," Neil tried to calm Colin as well though he had no idea was exactly was going on.

"If I knew the dead people can be so noisy, I would never try to take my own life. And why are you all dead?" It was the first thing Jared thought to ask when he regained his consciousness unnoticed by others whose attention was drawn away from the actor for some moments.

"I feel quite alive, thank you very much," Neil was blissfully unaware of what turmoil the appearance of his friend Laertes brought to Colin's and Jared's minds, "and I am happy to inform you that you are as well. Saved by the paparazzi, if the rumour is true. As a matter of fact, we are all still in the world of the living. Welcome back!"

"He can't be alive," quietly said Jared staring at Hephaistion who was still standing behind Colin who had hard time to trust his senses.

"I hope it means you are happy to see me again," Hephaistion encouragingly smiled and, moving around the bed, sat on the other side from Colin. "And hey, I hope you glad to see me too," he patted Colin's arm that was rested on Jared's blanket. At the touch, the Irish actor at last was able to break the trance he was in since hearing and recognizing Hephaistion's voice.

"You are alive, how is this possible?" Colin asked turning more in the direction of Hephaistion.

"I don't know, we'll think about this later," the general gave another encouraging glance in Colin's direction and turning his attention to Jared, graced him with a broad smile. "What is all this nonsense that you tried to kill yourself? I thought you were made from a tougher stuff."

"You have this influence on people, they don't want to live anymore when you are gone," Jared started his phrase cheerfully but by the end of it, seeing how Hephaistion went pale, he regretted his choice of words, but it was too late.

"Please excuse him, Your Grace, he obviously can't think straight after that much of medication," Oliver pointed out.

"Don't call me that," Hephaistion collected himself quickly, pushing the unpleasant thoughts about Alexander's death aside. The time for his grief will come later.

"General then? Or Mr. Prime Minister?"

"Stop this, please."

"What do you mean Prime Minister or General?" Neil asked, perplexed.

"By the way, what Neil is doing here?" asked Jared.

"Yes," echoed the question Colin.

Oliver laughed, "You should get your priorities right, you know. Are you more puzzled by Neil's presence or Hephaistion's?"

"Whose?" Neil's brows went up.

Oliver took a few steps in Neil's direction and threw his arm around actor's shoulder. "It's a long story, but, basically, his name is not Laertes but Hephaistion."

"Yes, and mine is Perdiccas," Neil tried to wiggle from Oliver's embrace.

"No, you are not Perdiccas, you just played his role. But," the director held a very theatrical pause, "we allowed you come upstairs with us only because of Jared's weakness for that general and our suspicion that your presence is necessary if we want to find Alexander too."

"What Alexander?"

"The Great, of course," Oliver smirked knowing quite well in what turmoil Neil's thoughts were at the moment.

Neil stared dumbfounded at Oliver and then in the direction of Jared, who was in sitting position on his bed now, and Colin and the man just a few moments ago he knew as Laertes, both of them still sitting on Jared's bed from two different sides. The trio suddenly seemed oblivious to the presence of others and was happily whispering about something, their hands grasping each other in joyful confirmation of the unexpected reunion.

"Are you making fun of me?" at last Neil managed to free himself from Oliver's grasp. Suddenly, he remembered the conversation he had with the lady of the house just a few hours ago. "I thought you were above reality shows junk and you can't seriously expect that I was going to fall into your trap. Hephaistion? Really? Alexander the Great? What's the next episode – the resurrection of Jesus Christ?"

"Hey, no blasphemy in my presence!" Colin shouted from where he was sitting.

"Well, then, should I fetch the psychiatrist that the poor doctor was promising to bring for Jared?" Neil suggested tersely.

"No physiatrist, please," Jared rolled his eyes in the mock desperation.

"Then stop making fun of me and tell me what's going on," advised Neil. He would have been angry if he thought that he was a butt of some sophisticated television prank, but he quickly decided that it would be too expensive to set such a course of events in motion, besides his seeing Laertes on TV was a pure coincidence.

"Well," started Colin but then helplessly looked from Oliver to Jared and then to Hephaistion for help. "We are not making fun of you. You have to believe us."

"Seriously, guys," Neil tried to reason, "your acting skills are superb but even they won't do. You have to come up with a better story then this."

"What I really liked about the fourth century BC is that people had a far more open minds. I told Alexander I was from the future and he accepted it without problem. I am sure if Alexander didn't put me the under house arrest and I had the chance to tell Perdiccas who I really was, he wouldn't have a problem with it either."

"Alexander put you under arrest? What for?" asked Hephaistion.

"Well, your friend Perdiccas is very quick minded. I think he figured out some things all by himself. When you died, Alexander went predictably amok with grief and accused me of wanting you dead because I didn't warn him about what was going to happen. He didn't pay attention or didn't care that Perdiccas was present. When during the farewell ceremony in Babylon he tossed his favourite Iliad into your funeral pyre, Perdiccas rightly presumed that the king wished to follow you in death and somehow he figured out that maybe I knew how to prevent it. He thought I was a soothsayer who knew the future but if I would have a chance to tell him who I really was, he would have easily believed me."

"I still don't understand why Alexander put you under arrest," asked Hephaistion.

"Because your friend Frada eavesdropped on my conversation with Perdiccas when the general accused me of knowing how to prevent Alexander's death and not sharing it with anybody, him especially. Frada thought that Perdiccas was my enemy and threatened my life. Perdiccas became even more powerful after your death and Frada decided that only the king could take me out of the harm's way. Alexander, well, here I can only guess, I think he didn't want me to tell Perdiccas the truth, so he put me under the house arrest, not allowing anybody to see me. I was given Bagoas, your page Theocles and Peridemos as my companions and Sostratos as my chief guard with some twenty solders under his command."

"I am glad Peridemos took my advice and sought you out after my death," quietly said Hephaistion.

"Hey, guys, I am still here," Neil used a moment of silence to remind everybody of his presence, "can you please stop making fun of me and treat me as a decent human being?"

"We are not making fun of you and the man you know as Laertes is really Hephaistion," Colin decided to take the initiative of explaining the situation to Neil into his hands. "Yes, I know how impossible it sounds, I went through it myself. So, I am going to tell you what happened back in Siwah when we shoot "Alexander Revisited", the short version of it, you'll have to wait for the full story later because now we're all dying to learn the missing parts ourselves – Hephaistion what happened after his death, and we -how he came back to us alive after almost a year since his untimely demise; speaking in relative terms of course, because his actual death happened twenty three centuries ago."

Despite the exasperated look at Neil's face, Colin continued to tell the sequence of events combining the actions in their own time and Jared's experiences in Alexander's into one narrative. When he came to the end of their story as Siwah, he said, "After Jared's return, we thought we were done with time travel but then you shoved those black stones back into our faces and we knew that it was only the first chapter."

"It was you who told me that Hephaistion might like a bracelet," Neil was too caught up in the story to care whether it was real or not.

"Yes, it was me," confirmed Hephaistion, "and it was the moment I realized that the bracelet I bought in my own time while strolling with Perdiccas in the market was responsible for Jared's and mine first time exchange.

"You should have told me earlier about all this," in accusatory tone said Neil.

"So, now you believe us?" with hope asked Colin.

"I don't know," Neil realized that he was caught off guard and he reproached himself mentally for being so gullible because though what he was told was fascinating it could not be possibly true.

"Do you want to hear the rest of the story or not?" asked Colin patiently.

"Fine, go ahead," conceded Neil; he might not believe what he was told but he had to admit, he was spellbound by the narrative and it seemed to have a positive effect on Jared.

Colin ignored the unhidden scepticism in his friend's voice and told him about what happened next. He came to a stop when he described how he and Oliver said goodbye to Jared and Damian and nodded in Jared's direction. Instead of picking up the narrative where Colin finished, the actor suddenly said, "By the way, I am hungry, and I don't care how expensive this hospital is, I am not going to eat whatever they concoct in their kitchen. So, can we order something for a healthy lunch break?"

"I am hungry too," admitted Oliver, "by the way, we never asked how you were able to sustain your vegetarian habits at Alexander's court?"

"I planned my own meals and …."

"Please don't kill us with the suspense," Colin smiled when Jared stopped mid sentence.

"And Bagoas faithfully accommodated his every crazy whim," supplied Hephaistion.

"It wasn't exactly like that," pouted Jared and then smiled, "well, he did try very hard but since tofu didn't exist at the time, I had to substitute it with meat."

Colin and Oliver burst out laughing and even Neil managed a smile.

"Let me guess," ventured the Irishman, whipping the tears away from his eyes, "you also had to substitute soy drinks with wine?"

"Something of the kind," admitted Jared.

"That's solves the problem. Neil," Colin turned to the actor, "for pro forma sake, can you temporally say that you believe our story completely so that we can have some real Macedonian feast instead of steam veggies with tofu and carrot juice?"

Neil absent mindedly nodded and Colin started to punch numbers on his cell phone. When somebody responded on the other end, the actor went to the window and turning his back to everybody, started conspiratory dictate his instructions.

"I don't know why I didn't think about it in the first place," Neil turned to Oliver, "everything you just told me, is it a scenario for your new movie? Giving a new meaning to the title of 'Alexander Revisited'?"

"You know what they say on the matter," Oliver smiled, "truth is always stranger then fiction."

"Com'on, Oliver," Neil wasn't dissuaded by director's denial, "you can't seriously believe I can be duped that easily. It's all pretty obvious to me."

"What's so obvious?"

"I have to admit," Neil persisted, "it's a crazy idea but a brilliant one. Nobody yet invented such a twist. Take the actors from the first movie and make them go and visit the characters they played in the second one. Laertes will be a great fit for a real Hephaistion…."

"He is the real Hephaistion," chuckled Jared.

"Oh, come on! How long you are going to continue with this ruse?"

"It's not a ruse," sighed Hephaistion, "though nothing changed and Alexander is still dead, Deidre is dead too, and so is Damian, though I really didn't mean to kill him."

"You know that Deidre is dead?" Jared winced at the memory. "How did you find out?"

"Neil told me on the way here."

"How did you get here anyway?" Jared turned to Neil with question, "and how you and Hephaistion met?"

"Me and Laertes, you mean?"

"No, I mean you and Hephaistion," persisted Jared.

"Prepare yourself to be royally spoiled," interrupting the conversation, announced Colin coming back from the window recess and flopping back onto Jared's bed, "by the way, I asked for more beds to be brought here so that we can all dine reclining as noble Macedonians."

"You did what?" laughed Jared.

"Well, we can't lose face before our honourable guest," Colin smiled in Hephaistion's direction.

"Please tell me you didn't," Jared couldn't suppress his loud bouts of laugh.

"Fine, I was joking," conceded Colin, "but the only reason I didn't ask for more beds is because this room is too small to accommodate four more and also side tables and waitresses gliding around. But I asked for serving tables and more chairs."

"Did you ask them to bring me normal clothes?" inquired Jared.

"Seriously, Mr. Leto, your mind is still clouded by whatever drugs they put through your veins! I was calling a restaurant, not a fashion house."

"Don't be so rude with me," Jared pretended to be insulted but mischievous sparkles were playing in his eyes.

"It's your entire fault, Colin," Hephaistion joined the fun.

"How come it's my fault?"

"Well, technically, it's Alexander's but since you are Alexander too…."

Colin burst out laughing again, "No way I will allow you to pin your lover's transgressions on me. I know he spoiled Jared rotten. Obviously, you want him alive because the two of you can't live without each other, but I already have a very long list of pretensions to him."

At this moment the door flung open and the same doctor entered the room with a very angry expression on his face, "What's going on here?"

"Oh, sorry, are we too loud?" Jared tried, rather unsuccessfully to make his face look serious.

"I see your friends were right and you are quite happy to be alive."

"Oh, yes, sorry to bother you with my presence here but can I and my friends enjoy your hospitality for a little longer? We just ordered some food, healthy stuff, rest assured and I promise we'll be quiet."

The doctor rolled his eyes, those celebrities were sometimes beyond his comprehension.

"I hope you are glad it turned out to be a happy ending," Hephaistion charmingly said. Though he never would admit it openly to anybody, not even to Alexander, but the former Chiliarch was very well aware what effect his looks had on the most people. Under many circumstances, the beauty could be a powerful weapon and Hephaistion knew quite well how to use it.

"Of course I am happy," the doctor admitted, "though the sudden mood swings can be dangerous too. Mr. Leto should take it slowly and not fall from one extremity to another."

"His well being is our primary concern," Hephaistion seriously assured the physician and to make his point even more clear, he stood from Jared's bed and went in doctor's direction. The rest of the group watched with fascination how Hephaistion worked on his intended victim. His movements were fluid like that of the panther and calculated with precision of the most intricate mechanism. His voice hypnotized the doctor, his eyes and his smile made the man agreeable to whatever was wanted from him.

"I am glad you see it this way,' Hephaistion flashed another brilliant smile at the physician after he explained to him the importance of their presence to Jared's recovery in the most convincing and genuine tone. "We promise to behave and don't disturb other patients."

"Of course, let me know if you need anything else," the doctor sincerely assured Hephaistion and dipped his head in a sign of respect. "I will leave you to celebrate your happy reunion now," and with those words he left the room.

"Wow, that was very impressive," Colin summed up everybody's impression of what just took place.

"Don't exaggerate," Hephaistion leniently smiled. "So, where we were before this brief interruption?"

"I was about the tell what happened when Damian and I arrived at Alexander's court but then realized that it will take a long time and I was sort of hungry," answered Jared. "I guess I can start now since Colin so graciously ordered us food."

Jared turned to be a very good story teller and everybody listened with attention of a child who is told his favourite fairytale before the sleep. The actor didn't have a single moment to reflect on the miraculous appearance of Hephaistion in his chamber when he woke up but his mood changed dramatically. The Chiliarch was alive, somebody answered his prayers after all. It also meant that Alexander might not died after all, they just have to figure out where and how to find him. It was difficult to say what all this meant, but there was no more reason for despair.

Though Colin and Oliver were listening to the story for the second time, it was quite different and far more pleasurable experience then when Jared just came back. Actor's voice was full of confidence, happiness and excitement. The story was peppered with humour and interesting details that were missing in the first version. And though Hephaistion knew about some of the events that Jared was talking about, most of it he heard for the first time, especially the fact that Damian was really a doctor, not a historian and what his mission really was; he learnt about Jared's and Damian's attempts to figure out who was behind his presumable death and how it all ended up with Damian trying to kill Jared because he thought the actor didn't want to save Chiliarch's life. As for Neil, he was so fascinated with Jared's story that he didn't care anymore whether he believed it to be true or the fruit of somebody's imagination.

There was a brief interruption when food arrived and at that moment Jared just finished to tell about his adventure with Thais.

"It was an irresponsible thing to do," Oliver reprimanded Jared. "You made Ptolemy your enemy, it cost life to Eumenus' slave and you could jeopardize you relationship with Alexander if he had to choose between you and Ptolemy."

"I know that Ptolemy is thought of by all the scholars as a fountain of wisdom and exemplary Pharaoh, but after knowing him personally, I beg to differ."

"This is because of your unexplainable weakness for Perdiccas," insisted Oliver.

"And that too," agreed Jared. "But Ptolemy didn't like me since Siwah, so it has nothing to do with Thais. Besides, again, I have Alexander to blame; he constantly insulted me by pushing women and men into my bed as if I wasn't able to find one on my own. And Thais came to me herself, she thought she could outwit me, fat chance. Of course, the fact that she looked exactly like the dark haired version of Paris Hilton didn't improve her chances of being rejected by me," Jared dropped a bomb at the unsuspected auditory.

Colin, Oliver and Neil laughed at this announcement and started to tease Jared with comments about his predilection to famous blond women.

"Too bad Marilyn Monroe died before you were even born," snickered Colin, "I wonder if you would be able to charm her into being your girl friend."

"Marilyn Monroe was a great actress, and a beautiful woman, yes," commented Jared, "and I resent your implication that I have to sleep with every blond there is."

"I was joking, shish, you don't have to be so serious," bantered Colin, "but please do tell us, who was better in bed, Thais or Paris?"

"Thais," without going into details commented Jared and concentrated on chewing a piece of salmon he just put into his mouth.

"Who is this Paris Hilton?" asked Hephaistion trying to figure out how to deal with a juicy lobster that Colin insisted on putting on his plate.

"One of the famous blonds that Jared once dated," explained Oliver. "She has a lot of money and very little of brain or modesty."

"That's not exactly true," Jared came to the heiress defence, "but Thais is still better in bed."

"Now, that we established that, can you please move on?" asked Oliver.

"No problem," said the actor and went on with his story.

The cheerful mood of the company turned into a darker one when Jared started to tell about the events after Hephaistion's death. The Chiliarch sat immobile on his chair, the food forgotten and his heart bleeding because of the pain that Alexander had to live through. He even didn't smile at the episode with Cassander, Antipater's son being not an important personage of his life. He shook his head when Jared told about his narrow escape from Frada's assassins and showed no emotions when he heard about the deaths of Bagoas, Stateira, Parisatis and Sisigambis.

Neil was the first to react when Jared's story was told, right to the moment when the actor remembered slicing his wrists.

"This is so different from what I know, what anybody knows. But how is it all possible? I don't mean the fact that things happened not like we know they did, but the time travel and Hephaistion being alive after he physically died, was mummified and cremated?"

"We only figured out about the time travel thing, those black stones are responsible," cautiously started Colin, he didn't want to offend Hephaistion who was evidently far more affected by Jared's story. "Maybe now you can tell us how you and Hephaistion met?"

Neil didn't answer the invitation immediately. Did he dare to believe what he just heard was true? He couldn't find a single inconsistency in Jared's story with the obvious exception of time travel and miraculous resurrection of Hephaistion. As a matter of fact, some of the events seemed to him far more logical in Jared's version then in what was known to general population. Alexander's stupid and unexplainable phrase to Hephaistion "you are nothing without me" seemed far more reasonable with "both" being part of the phrase and addressed to Krateros too; Roxana being a timid and obedient wife seemed historically more correct considering that she was not known to be involved in the political life after Alexander's death and it was Olympia, and not her, who struggled to preserve Alexander's inheritance with any means possible for the king's young son. Many other things fitted far better into historical reality from Neil's point of view.

Temporary putting aside his final decision whether to become a believer or not, he told everybody about the events of the day that culminated in his meeting with Hephaistion in the house of the parents of the boy saved by Hephaistion.

"Hephaistion?" Jared quietly asked. "Will you tell us what you remember?"

"Of course," his answer came immediately though the rest of the group suspected that his mind wasn't really present in the room but somewhere in the dark corridors of his memory.

"But allow me to start a little earlier, may be from the moment I read the word "Ecbatana" on the internet. Sure, I've heard about the city before that but it didn't conjure any emotions. Thankfully, my return to Alexander's side allowed me to forget temporally about knowing when and where I would die. I was too happy and too busy to think about my death. Even when Alexander sent Parmenion to Ecbatana, I didn't think much of the city, I still had years to live and it didn't bother me much. Quite to the contrary, I wasn't worried that I may die going into battles or entering into skirmishes, I ignored warnings about the bites of poisonous snakes and bad food in India and as devastating as the journey through Gedrosia was, I knew I was going to make it.

But after Gedrosia, Susa came all too quickly and then Alexander announced about our sojourn in Ecbatana before returning to Babylon for our expedition to Arabia. The days of Susa were very busy, crazy even; Alexander wanted to outdo any known wedding, including the one of Peleus and Thesis. But suddenly, I became overcome with the knowledge of my impeding death and as hard I as tried, I couldn't shake the gloomy mood. I became irritable and short tempered and the harder I tried to forget what I knew, the harder it became not to remember it every living moment. Alexander tried to find out what was going on with me but I couldn't possible tell him. Alexander became offended, he didn't like when I hid things from him, we quarrelled and he brought Bagoas again to his bed. I knew that I was responsible for the fact that the things became sour between us but it wasn't in my power to break the vicious circle.

And then Jared and Damian arrived. If not for them, I may have died in Ecbatana without ever reconciling with Alexander. But things turned to the better after their unexpected appearance. I don't know how, but I was able to put my fears aside and Alexander and I were together again. I thought about it in those few months between Susa and Ecbatana, and I think Jared's presence gave me hope that after my death he would be able to console Alexander. Besides, Jared's outrageous behaviour allowed me to relax, have some fun and even forget for a few moments that I was about to die."

"Hey," Jared ventured to interfere, "my behaviour wasn't outrageous. True, I was having a lot of fun as well, but most of my days were spent arguing with Damian."

"It may be true, to some extent," conceded Hephaistion, "I didn't know that you also was having troubles, you're too good of an actor."

"I am?" asked Jared, more so to hear the praise from Hephaistion's mouth again than to confirm the fact.

"Yes, you are," Hephaistion's mood was a little lighter now, "but enough about you."

"Why is that, Your Highness?" Jared tried to remain serious but burst out laughing after a few moments.

"Stop calling me that!" insisted Hephaistion with some petulance but good naturedly.

"But you are!"

"Zip it, boys!" barked Oliver in a tone of a school principal trying to bring some order into the cuffufle of the disorganized students during an assembly.

"Ah?" both culprits turned in the Director's direction and Hephaistion theatrically raised his left brow in his best expression of "how dare you?"

"You heard me," Oliver challengingly looked at both for the moment but immediately turned away in order not to break into a smile. He was glad that the sombre mood was broken; he had enough of it recently.

"Anyway," Hephaistion resumed his story, "back to the walled city of Ecbatana. I received a letter from Mazaeus' widow that my wife Drypetis wasn't feeling well and the tone of the letter suggested that she didn't put everything in writing. I thought it prudent to send Frada to Babylon. When we said our goodbyes and I was about to join Alexander at the party, I came across Damian who I soon discovered was tracing Jared secretly. I knew him as a historian then and he was a puzzle to me, I couldn't understand why Jared brought him along, even the fact that the bracelets worked on him didn't explain his presence, something was off.

You know what happened next. I can't say that I had any suspicions about him and for sure his attempt to kill Jared didn't fit at all in any situation. I regret killing him but he was too intense on smashing Jared's head and I couldn't let it happen. But I was a moment too late – both in saving Jared and not killing Damian. After that accident everything went down the hill. You see, I intended to tell Jared that I knew that I was going to die soon and I wanted to ask him to take care of Alexander after I am gone. But now Jared was unconscious, no doctor could help him and I figured I had only a few days to live. I was afraid to betray my mood to Alexander so instead of spending my last days with him, I spend them with Jared, trying to talk him out of his condition. I neglected sleep and food and when one evening Alexander dragged me to the party, I simply collapse out of exhaustion, worry and probably hunger.

Now it was Alexander's time to worry, he had two sick people to take care of and his presence was constantly needed somewhere. I didn't want to tell Alexander what was wrong and told him and the doctor that I had a stomach pain. I think I managed to fool them enough and the news of my supposed disease spread soon through the palace. Alexander didn't ask me anymore what was wrong, he thought he knew. The only downside of the situation was that I couldn't see Jared. I still almost didn't eat anything, I tried but couldn't force myself and besides, Glaukos, the doctor, put me on the strict regimen thinking I ate the wrong food or too much of it. I couldn't sleep either; I stayed in my bed trying to figure out what to do. The dark humor of the situation was that I remember reading that I died of some food poisoning or overeating and overindulging in wine whereas the situation was quite the opposite. So, what I was going to die from, I tried to guess tossing around in my bed and looking for a solution without knowing exactly what the problem was.

And then one night gods actually took mercy on me and I fell asleep. I woke up next morning feeling better than I could remember for a long time and went to visit Jared hoping for another miracle. It didn't happen, Jared was still unconscious but Alexander was visibly relieved that my "disease" backed down. I had a light breakfast and sent Alexander and Glaukos to take part in the festivities. I read some correspondence but then, still feeling weak from the days of insomnia and lack of nourishment, I decided to take a nap. It was almost the last thing I remember. I think I was falling asleep and then unbearable pain shot through my body. I don't even remember where it originated, and I am not sure if I realized that was it, the end. I just remember that awful pain and then nothing.

I don't know if that nothing lasted a moment, a year, an eternity. My next moment of consciousness was me hearing the waves of the sea breaking violently over the shore. I think I remembered my pain and wondered for a moment whether I was dead and the sounds I was hearing were the waves of the river Styx. I thought my guess was right because moments later I've heard somebody's shouts of help. I opened my eyes and saw a gloomy morning sky over my head. As grey as it was, it was too bright for being a part of the Underworld. The cries for help became louder and I realize they were coming from the sea. I decided to ask questions later and sprinted to the water. There is not much to tell after that. Neil already did that."

"So, when did you figure out that you were in our time?" asked Colin.

"As soon as I heard your language spoken. My head was filled with so many questions that I really didn't have time to start worrying when Neil appeared. Some of those questions are answered by now but quite a few remain."

"Such as how and why you died and then miraculously appeared well and alive in our time," suggested Colin.

"It's easy to figure out how he appeared in hour time," chipped in Jared, "I threw the stones of Damian's bracelet into Hephaistion's funeral pyre; the doctor didn't need them any longer."

"And I don't want to waste our time now trying to figure out why I died and how I was brought alive again," said Hephaistion.

"So, what's your plan then?" asked Colin.

"Go back and find Alexander."

"How? We don't have any more stones for you to go back."

"But we have Neil."

"What do you mean?" asked the said actor.

"It's simple," Hephaistion turned in his direction. "It was always either you or Perdiccas who bought those stones. Though the first time I technically bought them myself, I was in Perdiccas' company. We'll go back to Siwah and send you shopping."

"Easier said than done," said Oliver.

"Why?"

"Because each time you, Neil or Perdiccas bought those stones, neither of you went to the market with intention to buy them, it was always by chance."

"Not true," argued Neil, "I went to the market to buy a bracelet."

"Exactly, a bracelet, not the bracelet," explained Oliver.

"I am sure it doesn't matter much," speculated Hephaistion.

"Especially since now we have two Hephaistions," reminded Jared.

"Still…." Oliver wasn't convinced.

"It's all we have," said Hephaistion. "I am going. I mean, I am sure you can send me there. Where are we, by the way? I've heard it's some city called Los Angeles. Where is that exactly? How far it is from Siwah?"

"It doesn't matter how far, it's just…."

"What?" impatiently demanded Hephaistion.

"I am not sure if it will work," confessed Oliver.

"We'll never know if we don't try," insisted Hephaistion. "What other options do I have?"

"Stay here," suggested Oliver though the moment he said it he knew it won't fly.

Hephaistion snorted, "I didn't come all the way here," he stumbled on the phrase but then continued, "I doubt I was brought back to life in order to live my life here alone, I mean without Alexander and since Alexander doesn't have the ability to travel to the future, it means I have to go back to my own time and find him there."

"I am going to," advised Jared.

"You are not going anywhere!" exclaimed Oliver.

"You are not my father and you can't tell me what to do with my life. I am going back with Hephaistion; I am more than sure that if we're going to find those stones, there will be more than for one bracelet."

"First, Neil has to find those stone," reminded them Colin.

"I am sure he will," the assurance in Hephaistion's voice worked magic on everybody, with exception of the general himself.

O

It took them days to release Jared from the hospital and during that time Colin worked on supplying Hephaistion with documents. Nobody asked him how, but Laertes Alexandropoulos went through several airports and customs without any troubles. Not that any airport officials had it in their minds to bother such an illustrious group of travellers because Oliver and Colin couldn't even think about letting Hephaistion, Jared and Neil to travel to Siwah on their own.

They found the town exactly how they remembered it back in 2004. They dropped their luggage in the small hotel where they booked their rooms and almost run to the local shuk. Surprisingly, Neil was able to find the small store where he bought the bracelets almost immediately, but there was another owner who didn't have any black stones and had no idea what happened to the previous owner of the store. After a few desperate days, they knew every single store, stall, every nook and cranny of the market and the place of Siwah itself, but were not a iota nearer to acquiring the stones that they were on the first day of their arrival.

"May be we should approach the matter differently," tiredly said Hephaistion when they congregated one evening all together in the biggest of the rooms.

"How?" asked Jared.

"There is still Perdiccas…."

"What do you mean?" Colin asked the question first.

"What I just said, Perdiccas is still there. Maybe he will come across those stones. He is still alive, is he?"

"Yes," confirmed Jared, "if time still goes at the same speed here and there. But he doesn't have a lot time. If my calculations are correct, Ptolemy is about to steal Alexander's body and bring it to Egypt. Perdiccas will follow and…. die trying and failing to recover it," Jared reminded everybody; by now, Hephaistion already knew what was to happen after Alexander's death. "And unfortunately, he comes nowhere close to Siwah, so that option is out."

"Maybe that merchant will travel somewhere else…." Hephaistion knew he was grasping at the straws, but what other choice did he have?

Colin and others shook their heads; they didn't believe that somebody will change the rules just to accommodate their wishes.

"Oh maybe," Hephaistion closed his eyes, desperately trying to come up with a solution. Suddenly his eyes flung open, bright with a new idea.

"What?" Jared questioned with hope.

"We forgot about one more person!" exclaimed Hephaistion.

"Who?" the rest of them asked in unison.

"I don't know who, but there must be one more person who is able to travel through time."

"What do you mean?" Colin was first to inquire.

"Think about it," explained Hephaistion, "Jared has time travel ability in your time and I have in mine. We form one inter time pair, so to speak. Then there was Damian in your time, it means that there must be somebody in mine."

There was a silence for a few minutes but then Colin shook his head, "Sorry, but even if you are right, it doesn't help us. Damian is dead, and even if such a person did exist in your time, he must be dead as well. I wonder if it was Glaukos, after all he was a doctor, just like Damian."

"If Damian is dead it doesn't mean another person is dead too," Hephaistion wasn't about to admit any defeat.

"But it does. Think about it, Damian almost killed Jared, he was unconscious and then you died. Jared woke up, only to come back to our time and being too consumed by his guilt, he tried to kill himself. You miraculously were resurrected and Jared came around too. Your lives and deaths are connected. So must be those of Damian and the other person whose name we'll never know."

"Unless Damian was resurrected too…." Suggested Neil and won a gratifying smile from Hephaistion.

"Sorry, I don't mean to be a pessimist," Colin hated the role he assumed but he didn't want Hephaistion suffer from another bout of disappointment. "I am just trying to be… realistic. Though, I have to admit, reality is really stretched its boundaries based on everything that we know. Anyway. Let's presume Damian is back to the world of the living and so is the person who is his counterpart in the past. How does it help us?"

"It's simple," suggested Hephaistion knowing quite well that his idea is going to sound too outlandish. "Damian would want to return to his own time. First, he would come back to Babylon to look for Perdiccas. His counterpart, let's say it's Glaukos, but I can keep my mind open on the matter, is with him. So, they find Perdiccas, they're going to buy some stuff together and they come across the same merchant who has those stones and Perdiccas buys them and gives to Damian. They say their goodbye to the general and go to Siwah. They arrive at their destination and go directly to the caves. Or maybe Damian goes alone, it really doesn't matter. In any case, there are two spare bracelets. He goes to the caves and Jared and I go to the caves at the same time and we switch places, just like the first time."

"Hephaistion, really….." Oliver shook his head in disbelieve and others followed the suit.

"Right, maybe it's too convenient but I don't see any other solution. Or we go tomorrow back to the market and start searching for the stones again."

"I am going to the caves with Hephaistion tomorrow morning," Jared surprised everybody with his announcement.

"You are?" asked Hephaistion almost in disbelieve.

"Yes, we have to try it at least once."

Colin was about to argue but then decided to remain silent. He thought he knew the game that Jared was playing. Hephaistion was desperate, understandably so, and Jared tried to calm him by agreeing to the crazy plan. He looked at Oliver and Neil. They too were nodding in agreement and Colin was sure that they came to the same conclusion.

The next morning they all went to the caves. Upon entrance, Hephaistion and Jared changed their clothes into the Greek ones and saying goodbyes complete with hugs and farewell words, went inside the cave. The remaining trio went back to the village agreeing to give a few hours to Hephaistion and Jared to realize that they were not going anywhere. Neil went through the shops again, just in case, and Colin and Oliver clung onto their laptops to communicate with the outside world and answer the slew of messages that their managers and assistants frantically sent them every hour or so.

Around midday they met back near the caves and seeing nobody nearby decided to go inside in search of Jared and Hephaistion.

"What do you think are the chances that we don't find them in the cave?" asked Neil.

"You have to be realistic, none," answered Oliver. "I don't think that Hephaistion is meant to go back. I simply don't think so, better to get ready and think how to convince him of the same. It's not going to be easy."

"No, it's not going to be," agreed Colin with a sigh.

And true, after five or so minutes of walking, they came to the dead end of the cave where they found Hephaistion and Jared sitting on the floor and staring blankly ahead.

"We can give it another try tomorrow," started Colin; he had no idea how to convince Hephaistion to abandon his idea.

"We should wait longer," stubbornly insisted Hephaistion.

"You must be hungry," helped Oliver. "I suggest we go back, have some lunch and you can go back later in the evening.

Hephaistion was about to object but Jared stood up and gave his hand to Hephaistion in the open invitation to join him.

"Oliver is right, we have to have something to eat and then we can come back. We should also bring some food and water with us and maybe some blankets to sleep on. We can sleep in the cave."

Colin wanted reprimand Jared for feeding Hephaistion's illusion but couldn't bring himself to do it. It would be too cruel and his heart bled for the suffering Chiliarch.

Hephaistion took Jared's hand and silently stood up. He wasn't sure he believed his own idea that it would work but he refused to let it go. What else there was? As fascinating as this world was, he didn't want to live in it without Alexander. He didn't want to live in any world without Alexander; he knew he couldn't bear the suffering, just as Alexander couldn't after his own death.

Nobody said any words, none were necessary. They treaded in silence one after another; Oliver headed the procession, the light of his flashlight dancing on the walls of the cave and the flame of Jared's torch playing a catching game a few metres behind.

"I lost my sunglasses in the cave," announced Colin when he stepped out of the cave and was blinded by the scorching sun.

"You should have worn kohl eyeliner," teased him Jared, his own eyes ready to meet bright Egyptian sun old style.

"What are the chance that I lost my sunglasses too?" asked Neil, "And it seems that Oliver did as well."

"Something is not right," said Colin, "those palm trees weren't here and I don't see the road to the village."

"Holy shit!" exclaimed Jared and stared in disbelieve at the rest of the company.

"What?" Colin asked.

"I think…." the actor turned his head left and right, "I think…. Welcome to the 4th century BC, my friends!"


	28. Book of Angeles, Ch 3

Title: Alexander Revisited

Disclaimer # 1: I am fully aware that the movie with the same title exists (on DVD); this story was born out of that movie but took a turn to AU where it would reside with no intention of coming into a conflict with the original creation.

Disclaimer # 2: This story is a pure fiction. I don't know the real people involved; anything they do and say in my story has nothing to do with the actual lives of those people.

A/N # 1 - Thank you, my wonderful friends, all of you who read and especially commented on the chapters that I already posted. My special regards to those who reviewed for the first time and who added this story to their favorites and story alert. It would be also wonderful to hear the thoughts of those who read the story but didn't voice their opinion yet. Thank you all.

A/N#2 – this chapter is belated birthday present to my friend Zhouhua00. Though it's long overdue, at least it is a week earlier than I promised to her.

O

"What do you mean, _welcome to the fourth century BC?" _asked Colin not realizing at first the true meaning of Jared's phrase.

"Well, as a person who spent some time here, I think I have a right to welcome you," said Jared making an intentional eye contact with each of his friends one by one; seeing the shocked reaction on everybody's face, except of Hephaistion's, he continued, "Of course, the general has an equal right, since he was born and died here but I thought…"

"You can't be serious!" exclaimed Colin in shock and disbelieve.

"I think he is right," said Hephaistion but before he could add anything, he was almost thrown off his feet by Colin who, covering the brief distance between the two of them in a few speedy steps, grabbed the general by his upper biceps and started to shake him in desperate rage.

"This is because of you, how dare you, it's all because of you!" screamed Colin continuing to shake Hephaistion in frenzied rage.

"Colin, what are you doing, stop it," Jared came to general's defence trying to ply the enraged actor from the Chiliarch.

Colin shot his right hand, curling it into a tight fist, into Jared's direction, but he missed and, losing his balance, almost fell into the sand but was grabbed in time by Hephaistion.

"Colin, calm down," said Hephaistion who allowed himself to be somewhat beaten by the actor knowing fully well that the Irishmen couldn't do him much harm but by punching him will release and diminish the sadden wave of anger that possessed him. It was like being with Alexander all over again.

"I thought one needed those bracelets and some genetic marker to be able to travel through time," said Neil after the heavy silence hung over their group.

"Well, I guess it means that the rules have changed," answered Hephaistion.

"Rules? What rules?" shouted Colin again. "Your fucking gods always took pleasure in messing with people's lives. I didn't subscribe to this experiment! I didn't agree to go anywhere with anybody! I have a life in my own time, thank you very much! And I like it quite a lot! Oliver! Don't you have to say anything?!"

"Since nobody asked my opinion before transporting me here, I don't think it will make any difference that I disagree," almost fatalistically said the Director who was himself too much under the shock to say anything else on the matter.

"Fine, I am going back," Colin shouted again at the top of his lungs, "you can stay here all you want." He furiously hit a small hillock of sand with his right foot sending its hot grains in all directions. Then he turned around and angrily stomped back to the caves.

Jared started to run after the actor but Hephaistion stopped him, "Let him be. I suspect there is nowhere to go. He might cool down a little there. And why he is so angry?"

"Wasn't you? Wasn't you angry when you first discovered that you were thrown twenty three centuries ahead from your own time and separated, maybe forever, from Alexander?" asked Oliver.

"I was worried, probably even scared, yes," admitted Hephaistion. "But now, I have no hand in it, how could I? I would never force you to go with me, even Jared. "

"I didn't know back then who you were," said Neil, "but as far as I remember, you were pretty calm and in a good mood. Though in some ancient sources you were described as having quite a temper."

"I do have a tempter… sometimes. Everybody has. I guess now it was Colin's turn."

"I have to go and check upon him," said Jared and turned in the direction of the caves.

"No!" Hephaistion was quicker. "I need you here. Oliver can go, or Neil."

"Don't tell me what to do, he is my friend, I can't just leave him alone." Jared suddenly remembered how he was bossed around by Hephaistion back in Susa and afterwards. After all, the Chilliarch wasn't that leaned back and easy going guy as he seemed sometimes to present himself. He knew what power he wielded and wasn't shy to display it when necessary.

"I will go," declared Oliver. He didn't want their sojourn in the past to start with a confrontation; besides, he sincerely thought that Hephaistion was wrong denying Colin the comfort of a friend.

"Fine," agreed the general. He didn't want to upset Colin on purpose but he took actor's outburst for the sign of weakness and he didn't like to deal with people who were mopping around and bemoaning their fate.

"Jared, you have to go to the village and investigate," continued Hephaistion yearning to spring into some action immediately. "With some luck, there is still a Macedonian outpost or somebody who remembers you when Frada brought you here two years ago. We'll need to find a way to get out of here and closer to the theatre of events. "

"What's the problem, just go to Siwah Oracle and show yourself; you were declared a demigod there, surely they will bend over to accommodate your every divine wish," said Jared somewhat tersely, he was still upset with Hephaistion for his attitude towards Colin and general disrespect to the feelings of the people who were trapped here just because somebody decided that their company would be helpful in the search of Alexander or whatever other reason there might be.

"I don't want anybody to know that I am back and I am alive," said Hephaistion not taking the bait.

"Why?"

"Because. I don't think it's a good idea."

"But I think it's a wonderful idea," contradicted Jared more so to disagree with Hephaistion's opinion then really having any opinion on the matter.

"I think Hephaistion is right, you should go to the village," Neil took Chiliarch's side. "I would go with you only I can't go like that," he pointed to his clothes. He was wearing light grey cotton pants, white snickers and white t-shirt.

"We approximately the same built and height, we can change our outfits," suggested Hephaistion. "Let me see your feet, great, it's almost the same. Are you sure you'll be all right?"

"I'll be fine," assured him Neil, "though I don't know where I suppose to go but at least I won't let Jared to disappear into the desert without a trace."

"I am not that stupid," mumbled the actor and stared at the horizon in the direction of the village. They had at least one hour to walk and it was still just slightly after midday. He would prefer to stay at the caves for the evening and night and start out at dawn. But they didn't have any food or water and he didn't savor the possibility to pass those hours thirsty, hungry and arguing about the matters over which they had no control. Better to endure the merciless sun and hope to find some refuge in the village.

"I feel like back on the movie set," cheerfully said Neil when he caught up with Jared who started to walk to the village when he saw that Neil and Hephaistion were done switching their attires.

"It's not a game, Neil. We stepped into complete unknown. This world is dangerous."

"Yet you willingly agreed to go back with Hephaistion. Why did you want to do so if you don't see eye to eye?"

"Because I thought it will be just me. My life was wasted in the 21-st century, Neil. My family didn't want to know me, my career was in shambles and I couldn't shake the memories of the people, both dead and alive, whom I left here. Colin, Oliver and you are completely different matter. You can't simply disappear from public life, from the lives of the people who are your family and fans as well. Colin has a wife, a daughter and two sons, for the god's sake. Oliver also has three children and a wife. They are highly recognizable people with hugely successful careers. They can't abandon all that in the possibly fruitless search for Alexander. At least not as unexpectedly as it happened."

"Do you think this is why Colin freaked out?"

"I guess, why else?" he said, wiping the sweat from his brow. It was very hot and they were completely exposed under the sun. "I thought Hephaistion would understand."

"It's not easy for him either. How was your relationship back at Alexander's court?"

"It was fine, we didn't see much of each other though." The heat from the sun was taking away all their strength and suddenly he wasn't angry with Hephaistion anymore. He didn't bother to start soul searching to find out whether the dissipation of anger was due to the general lack of energy or because the irritant was no more before his eyes. They fell into the mutually beneficial silence, talking made the process of walking and breathing more difficult and they both had a lot to think about.

The caves were part of the mountain that in modern times was called Gebel el-Dakrour. Jared had no idea about its name in Alexander's time. He never bothered to ask that question.

"We are getting closer to the village," tiredly said Jared when they stepped into the area rather densely covered by palm trees. "See, over there, those structures are mud brick houses where most of the inhabitants and visitors reside."

"No five star hotels?" asked Neil and then tiredly smiled, "just kidding. I still can't fully process I am actually in the fourth century BC."

"Believe me, compared to the luxuries of Susa, Ecbatana and Babylon even ten starts hotels will look like hovels. I just don't think those palaces will be anywhere close to our itinerary. Even Alexandria is still almost non-existent".

"What about Egyptian Thebes or Memphis? I am sure the Pharaohs liked the luxury and comfort no less than the Great Kings of Persia."

"Maybe they did but I haven't been to any of those. And we're not on the sightseeing tour, remember?"

"I figured that much," said Neil. "Do you think anybody from the village will recognize you?"

"Recognize? Yes, I hope. Frada spent a lot of money here bribing the locals into the friendly attitude. Maybe we can trick them into believing that he is also coming back and they loan us some money. But I can't come up with any plan and first order of business will be finding some lodging, buying clothes, water and food so that we can go back and fetch the rest of our company. "

"Hephaistion mentioned some Macedonians still possibly are living here, since Alexander's visit."

"Yes, there were some of them. But they planned to join Frada's little expedition to the west because in the past they all served under Hephaistion in the same unit as Sostratos, my chief guard."

"Wouldn't it be nice if they still lingered here?" wishfully said Neil.

"Holy cow!" exclaimed Jared.

"What?"

"Can you wish for Alexander appearing alive and well before our eyes?"

"Gladly but why?"

"Because gods seem to grant your wishes immediately. See that guy?"

"Yes," confirmed Neil looking in the direction where Jared was pointing. "Though he's wearing Macedonian attire, he doesn't look like Alexander might."

"No, he doesn't but that's Theocles, Hephaistion's page whom the Chiliarch magnanimously granted to me when I just arrived in Susa. He is older now, must be around seventeen, but it's him no doubt. We might be in luck, let's go," and with those words Jared started to run in the direction of the young man. Neil sighed and tried to follow the lead.

Jared was panting heavily, his legs trembling while he struggled to run and his vision was jarred by drops of sweet gliding down his brow into the eyes. Though there was no more than some fifteen metres between the two, Jared thought he was running for ever.

"Laertes! Laertes! It is really you," screamed Theocles in delight when exhausted Jared almost collapsed into his arms. "I can't believe it! Lady Drypetis was right."

Jared half bended, resting his hands on the knees and trying to catch the breath. He could hear his pulse beating madly in the temples. "Why was I running?" he asked himself in surprise. "Now everything is going to be OK. Damn Hephaistion, gods might really favor him."

After some moments Neil caught up with him, "What was the rush?" he asked Jared. "This young man seems to be happy to see you and wasn't' going to leave."

Jared's breath returned to almost normal now, he straightened and hugged Theocles. "You have no idea how much I am glad to see you. This is my friend Neil."

"Don't I deserve a proper Greek or Macedonian name?" pouting, asked Neil in English.

"It doesn't matter anymore. I trust everybody is still here?" Jared asked his former page.

"Yes. It's a miracle that you came back."

"Miracle would be a good explanation. You said Drypetis was right, what did you mean?"

"After your departure we were ready to leave, Frada wanted to go to Cyrene and take ship from there to Carthage. But Drypetis fell ill and we waited till she recovered. We didn't know much about what's was going in the outside world. Later we learned that Thibron, the mercenary who fled Babylon with Harpalos, killed his master, took what treasures were still left, hired his own small army and besieged Cyrene. Then some of his lieutenants rebelled against him and it became a tag of war. Ptolemy didn't want any trouble brewing in the west of his kingdom, so he sent his own general to annihilate Thibron which was done successfully and Ptolemy added another jewel to his expanding kingdom. But you know about Ptolemy, right? Perdiccas had no choice but to accommodate his powerful adversary and give him his own kingdom to rule. So Ptolemy now is a master of Egypt."

"Yes, I know about that," unhappily said Jared. They still stood at the same place where Theocles was first spotted by Jared. The few locals passed nearby but they didn't show any particular interest in the newcomers and the group was left alone.

"A few dozen of Thibron's mercenaries made it to Siwah. We don't think it was their initial intention; they simply lost their way, as Alexander once did, though they came from a different direction. They started to pillage but were stopped in time by Sostratos who combined our small forces with those few Macedonians who were still here from the time when Alexander visited. We managed to kill them all and the locals were very grateful and happy. They asked us to stay with them but Frada wanted to move on and frankly, none of us intended to live the rest of our lives here. We were about to hit the road again bypassing Cyrene and going directly to Carthage though it was more difficult route. It was then that lady Drypetis saw her dream."

"What dream?" Jared asked.

"She said Hephaistion appeared to her in a dream and asked to wait here, in Siwah, till he comes back."

"What?!" both actors exclaimed in unison.

"This is what she said," confirmed Theocles not realizing what turmoil his announcement brought to the minds of his guests.

"Those tricky bastards," murmured Jared in English.

"I would be careful if I were you, because I presume by bastards you meant Greek Gods," advised Neil. "I am more than sure that they are eavesdropping right now and actually expecting our thanks, not the curses."

Jared was about to dismiss the warning but quickly decided that Neil might be quite right. "I actually meant Thibron's mercenaries," he hastily added.

Neil smiled, if the gods were listening, they would know the truth but at least Jared tried to correct himself.

"We have to offer our thanks to the Olympians for sending such an extraordinary dream to Hephaistion's wife," added Neil switching back to Macedonian.

"You meant widow?" Theocles corrected, frowning.

"Yes, of course," quickly assured him Neil. "So, where were we?"

"Lady Drypetis' dream," supplied Theocles. "It was a few months ago and we decided to wait. We weren't sure for what exactly and were hoping for some sign, but nothing happened. Now, I am sure I know what that dream meant. We needed to wait for Laertes arrival. Though he is not Hephaistion, but the dreams sometimes are hard to interpret. Let's go now, everybody will be so happy to see you!" Theocles face lit up with joy again.

"Yes, we have to go and get some supplies, and then we'll return back to the caves."

"Why?" asked Theocles with apprehension. "Are you not staying with us?"

"Don't worry," Jared assured him patting on the shoulder, "we'll stay with you all right but we have to fetch our other friends who wait for us by the cave. We weren't sure what we'd find in the village, so only two of us went to investigate."

"We can ask Sostratos to send some of the soldiers to fetch your friends, you look very tired," said Theocles with concern.

"No, our friends don't know Sostratos and it will cause them unnecessary concern. I am tougher than I look, remember? Now, are you still staying in the same place? Let's go," said Jared with a smile and nudged others to move. Of course Hephaistion would recognize Sostratos and vice versa, but Jared preferred to go back himself.

Just after some fifteen minutes of leisury walk they came close to the clutch of the buildings where, as Jared still rather vividly remembered, they stayed upon their arrival to Siwah. The mud huts were surrounded by a palisade, its wall woven from the palm branches, reinforced, here and there, by wooden stakes. One more turn and Jared came almost face to face with four of Sostratos' soldiers who were, despite the friendliness of their Egyptian hosts, on guard against the unexpected.

"Khaire!" said the actor smiling casually as if last time they saw each other was in the morning, not more than two years ago.

The soldiers yelped with joy and threw themselves on Jared with hugs and kisses. After the prolonged and noisy greeting, Jared freed himself from the friendly embraces and, taking a few steps in Neil's direction, threw his right arm over his friend's shoulders.

"This is my very good friend Neil," Jared introduced his fellow actor, "please show him the same affection you showed me."

"I think I will be happy with simple Khaire for now," a little cautiously but in sufficiently friendly tone said Neil.

The soldiers good naturedly laughed and merry "khaires" escaped their lips.

"Laertes told us that in his country, when people want to show the real joy at the meeting or sadness at the departure of a good friend, they hug him," said one of the soldiers, Amphitor. "And we are really happy to see him. I have to admit, this hug thing, it's rather infectious habit, especially, when the night is cold….."

Everybody burst out laughing but their mirth was interrupted by a stern voice of Sostratos who went outside the palisade to investigate the unusual noise, "What's going on here? Why did you abandon your posts? Do you think that…..," he stopped mid-sentence, staring for a few moment in disbelieve at Jared.

"By Hera's tits!" exclaimed Sostratos and opened his arms in greeting.

"I guess he also wants a hug," jovially said Neil and pushed Jared in the direction of the newcomer.

Exchanging loud smooches on both cheeks with Sostratos, Jared introduced Neil and then nodded in the direction of the gates.

"I think we shouldn't attract too much attention," he suggested. "Besides, I am dying to see the others and I have to fetch our other friends from the caves before they collapse from thirst."

To the great displeasure of the four guards, they were ordered by Sostratos to stay outside, but their commander scooped Jared, Neil and Theocles inside. Leaving others to catch up with him, Jared impatiently run to the entrance of the biggest hut which, he remembered during their sojourn in Siwah, served as a meeting place for everybody.

"I am back!" he shouted cheerfully smashing the door open. For the moment, the time froze and he could see Frada sitting on the low couch near the wall and perusing some papyrus that was spread across his knees; Drypetis sat near the improvised window – an opening in the wall that was barred from the hot sunrays by a loosely woven linen curtain hanging from the top of the recess. Some of the soldiers were also present in the room but they were outside of Jared's line of vision that was solely concentrated on Hephaistion's wife and eunuch.

"Great Ahuramazda!" both exclaimed in unison. Frada scrambled onto his feet and hurried to meet Jared; Drypetis turned her head to where Jared was standing, her eyes open wide in surprise and astonishment.

"Does it mean you're as happy to see me as the others?" Jared asked cheerfully and hugged Frada with all the force he could manage at the moment. The eunuch allowed the embrace despite the fact that he was less open to this type of greeting. By now he got used to the Greek way of easy familiarity and camaraderie but it still didn't come to him as naturally as if he was accustomed to it from the birth. Besides, as far as Laertes went, he completely disregarded any norms of acceptable behaviour.

"I am glad to see you, Lady Drypetis," Jared addressed the princess in a far more official tone. Still, not being able to resist a temptation, he went in her direction and picking up her right hand, kissed it very ceremoniously in the best habits of French chivalry. The princess didn't withdraw her hand and allowed Jared to finish his, a little too prolonged, kiss.

She smiled rather benevolently and asked, challenge and certain coquettishness in her tone, "I presume this is how in your country one would great a high born princess?"

"Or a queen, my lady," added Neil who by now, accompanied by Theocles and Sostratos, made it inside.

"In my country, however, one wouldn't address a high born woman to whom he wasn't introduced formally," sternly admonished Jared but, despite all his acting skills of dissimilation, immediately broke into a mischievous grin. "I am sorry, Lady Drypetis, I was joking. I am so happy to find all of you still here, my behaviour maybe on a silly side for some time. This is my friend Neil, I ask you to treat him as well as you treated me."

"We can do that," smiled Drypetis and extended her hand for a kiss.

Neil hurried to oblige, trying to hide his confusion at the sight of the beautiful princess to whom he took immediate liking. "Damn it," he thought to himself, "If Greek gods indeed exist and Cupid is playing his wicked games with me, I am going to catch this flying terrorist and pluck his wings one by one. Last thing I need is to get attracted to Hephaistion's wife, even if Chiliarch himself has no interest in her."

He threw a general "Khaire" in the direction of the other people present and gratefully grabbed the waterskin offered to him by Theocles.

"I am dying to hear why and how you came here but I can plainly see you are thirsty, hungry and exhausted," started Frada. We'll find you something simple to eat and then you should rest a few hours. We'll feast in the evening and celebrate your unexpected arrival with stories through the night."

"The feast in the evening sounds great," assured him Jared, "but we can't rest yet. We left three our friends in the caves and have to go back and fetch them first."

"It's not a problem, others can go and bring them here."

"No, they don't know you and the appearance of Macedonian soldiers can cause them unnecessary concern," Jared used the same excuse he gave to Theocles before. "Neil and I will go back, and Frada, if you don't mind joining us."

"Of course I will go," assured him eunuch, "but we better bring horses, including spares."

"And some garments too," added Neil remembering that he was wearing Hephaistion's clothes.

"Yes, those too. Waterskins as well, they must be awfully thirsty by now." Jared suddenly remembered that Hephaistion didn't want to be recognized by anybody. Obviously, it wouldn't apply to those who were with Frada, but who knows who they may encounter while going through the village.

"My friends are not used to the local sun," he started as matter-of-factly as he could manage, "we need to bring as broad brimmed hats as you can find and something to close the faces against the hot sand flying into the eyes."

While the preparations were done, Jared and Neil nibbled on the dry fruits that Theocles brought them. Neil, pretending to be more exhausted than he really was, sat in a corner trying to avoid looking in Drypetis' direction. Jared, on the other hand, lacking any inhibitions toward the princess, went to the table where she was sitting and looked with interest on what she was doing. There were several heads of men and women from white plaster and Drypetis was coloring them with brushes and paints that were arranged on the table. One look at the result of her work could tell Jared that the princess was a talented artist.

"I have to occupy myself somehow for the almost two years we spent in this hole," explained the princess and Jared could discern the notes of embarrassment in her tone. Obviously, it wasn't an acceptable pastime for a Persian princess.

"You have a gift," assured her Jared, "those are amazing. I once also dabbled in art, though now I don't have time for it."

"Thank you. Nobody here knows who I really am and when occasional visitors come, I go to my own room."

"You still don't have any serving girls?" asked Jared remembering that when they left Babylon, Drypetis refused to take anybody from her household saying she couldn't trust them. First days on the road were quite difficult for the princess; she could hardly ride and wasn't used to be in the open among many men most of whom she hardly knew. By the time they reached Mediterranean to see Peridemos off to Athens and arrived to Siwah, she became a skilled rider and quite adept in sharing daily tasks with the rest of the company. Jared was quite impressed, not so much by her skills but her attitude towards the challenges that the life threw at her.

"No. If you remember, I became quite self-sufficient person."

"What would you do if you find yourself back in palace, a princess among the luxuries of the royal court?"

"I doubt it's going to happen, but I am sure I can easily adapt though I will be missing the freedoms I quite enjoy now."

"We collected all the things you asked for," announced Frada re-entering the room. "The horses are prepared and ready for us."

"Yes, thank you. We should go now but can I ask Sostratos and Lady Drypetis to accompany us to the stables," announced Jared. "I have to try something and need their help," enigmatically announced Jared.

"Sostratos waits for us in the stables," said Frada. "Princess?"

"I remember Laertes being full of surprises," said Drypetis standing from her stool. "I am sure he didn't change a bit."

"You're going to tell them?" whispered Neil to Jared in English trotting last behind the group.

"Uhm," confirmed Jared.

The stables were inside the compound and were reached by the inner yard to where one of the side doors led.

"Can you take the horses outside, we'll join you soon," asked Jared the soldiers but motioned Sostratos to wait.

"What's the matter?" asked Frada to whom Jared's behaviour seemed somewhat suspicious.

"Maybe we should go to Lady Drypetis room, where nobody can hear us," suggested Jared nervously.

"Nobody can hear us here either," assured him Frada. "Why the secrecy?"

"Can I trust each and every soldier here as I can trust you?" asked Jared.

Sostratos frowned, "I don't know what you are talking about. Trust is a hard thing to indulge in these days. But we have been through a lot together. Everybody knows who Frada and Drypetis are, nobody unexpectedly left or been noticed in any suspicious activities. That's all I can tell you."

"Well, I guess, it's all I can ask for. I hate to take off with Frada and leave the two of you in the dark about who we are going to bring back. I will tell you the names of my three friends. One is Colin, another Oliver and the third one, well…."

The princess gasped and went so pale that Jared thought she was going to faint. "My dream was true, wasn't it?" Drypetis whispered, "My husband is alive and came back with you?"

Frada and Sostratos were about to reproach Drypetis for entertaining this unrealistic idea but one look at Jared's face and they immediately knew that she was right.

"How is this possible?" loudly whispered the eunuch.

"The priests at Siwah must have been wrong when they declared Hephaistion a divine hero. He must have been a god, maybe Dionysus or Zeus himself," Sostratos announced with a strange conviction. "Too bad Alexander is dead and won't be able to rejoice with us."

"Hephaistion is not a god," assured him Jared though suddenly he realized he has no proof that Sostratos was wrong. After all that happened, who knew what the truth was? "But yes, he is well and alive though he doesn't want the outside world to know it, at least yet. I leave it up to you to tell the others while we go to the caves and bring everybody else. Can you do that?"

"Yes," Sostratos and Drypetis nodded absentmindedly. The news was too much of the shock for them and their minds and bodies didn't figure out yet how to react.

"I want to believe you but I almost can't," announced Frada. "I have to go and see for myself." Realizing that nobody was moving, he shouted. "Now!"

Not waiting for anybody to react, he rushed outside, jumped into his horse and grabbing the bridles of another horse, speeded in the direction of the caves.

"I think you should go too," pointed out Sostratos. "You better come back soon because I am not quite sure that I can restrain others from going after you as soon as I break them the news."

"Of course," nodded Jared and making an awkward and absolutely unsuccessful attempt of a bow in Drypetis direction, hurried after Frada, dragging Neil along.

In a few minutes it took them to reach the horses, Frada was already gone, his silhouette disappearing in a whirl of sand on the dusty road towards the caves. Jared jumped onto the mare, the same one he rode from Babylon to Siwah, with easiness that he gained during his travels with Alexander and later Frada. While he marvelled at the thoughtfulness of Sostratos, who, he was sure, brought the same horse to Jared on purpose, he realized that Neil wasn't too happy about their mode of transportation. After all, most probably the last time he had to ride a horse without a modern saddle and stirrups was more than ten years ago when they shoot Alexander Revisited in Siwah.

"Need some help?" the actor asked his friend with a good natured smile allowing just a wisp of a snide to touch his lips.

Neil moaned and took the bridles hesitantly, trying to remember the best way to accomplish his task.

"Here," one of the soldiers approached him and helpfully interlaced his fingers, palms up, some half a metre above the ground. Neil gratefully nodded, and using the suggested help as improvised stirrup, hauled himself onto the horse.

"Thanks, it's been a long time," explained Neil and gently nudged the horse to move forward.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" teased him Jared and threw the reins of another horse for Neil to catch. "And hey, try not to fall, your new pal Hephaistion is not going to waste his time here waiting for you to recover."

"Don't be a smart ass and don't shout," told him Neil. Though they were already out of the earshot of Sostratos' soldiers, there were villagers that went around their business and could have overheard their conversation.

"All right, all right, just joking. After all, I wasn't any better when I started here and we have Oliver to worry about. I don't remember him on a horse when we shot Alexander. That will be quite an entertainment. For now, can you pick up the pace? I am dying to see Frada's and Hephaistion's reunion."

"I am afraid we'll be too late to that. He didn't seem overjoyed seeing you again but it looks like he is more than happy to have his master back."

"I don't think it's a correct description of their relationship. It's closer to a friendship, though of course not as close as with, say, Perdiccas, let alone Alexander. But it's definitely not that of a master and a slave, or any sort of dependant. And why did you say he wasn't happy to see me?"

"I didn't say he wasn't happy, just… I don't know. Your page Theocles and Sostratos seem more open, Frada is more reserved."

"And Drypetis?"

"What about her?"

"Do you think she was happy to see me?"

"Yes, I guess. Why?" Neil tried his voice to sound indifferent but something must have betrayed his attraction to the princess, because Jared, just a few paces away on his horse, cheerfully hooted and laughed at the sudden realization.

"So, you have your roving eye on the Persian princess? Should I remind you that she is another man's wife?"

"I doubt Hephaistion is interested in her as a wife, especially now."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that after she dispatched her own sister to the Underworld, hers and Hephaistion's child, if they going to have one, never will be Alexander's niece or nephew. I think it was the whole point of those marriages, wasn't it?"

"You know, I'll leave it to Hephaistion to figure out his relationship with his wife, and I strongly suggest you do the same. He never struck me as a man who easily lets go of what is his."

"You should more worry about the sourness of relationship between him and Colin than about the sweetness of relationship between his wife and me. In any case, your suspicion is stupid. Yes, I find Drypetis a very attractive woman but it doesn't mean I intend to seduce her."

"Well, if that's the case, let's hurry; I completely forgot about Colin's outburst, I hope to find him still alive and in better mood than when I last saw him."

It took them slightly more than ten minutes of intermitted gallop and canter to pass the distance they covered by walking for more than an hour. Not surprisingly, they found Hephaistion and Frada chatting happily outside the cave. To the newcomers' relieve, Colin and Oliver were also outside, sitting on the ground and talking in hush tones between themselves.

"I see the World War Three was averted," cheerfully noted Jared and, easily jumping from the horse, joined the duo of his contemporaries. Neil, groaning and carefully measuring his every movement, slid from the horse and hobbled to join his friends. Hephaistion, paying minimal attention to Jared's heroics with the horse, carefully watched Neil's endeavors, but seeing that he did alright, returned to his conversation with Frada.

"Through no effort on the part of our illustrious Chiliarch," commented Colin.

"Oh, com'on, Colin, he is Hephaistion," Jared masterfully mimicked the tone of Colin's own phrase from the movie. "Besides, can't you cut him some slack? He's been through a lot."

"Yeah, like what?" the Irishman's mood didn't improve much since Jared left.

"He died, got resurrected, in different time, mind you, came back with a bunch of mostly unwilling and definitely not overly capable companions; now he has to search for his king and lover, the gods only know where and how, amidst the throat-cutting war between his former brothers-in-arms in a company of his wife whom he never wished to marry in a first place."

"I couldn't phrase it better myself," Hephaistion agreed joining the conversation. Frada was dutifully nearby.

"Fine, what do you suggest we do now, Your Highness?" half mockingly, half grudgingly asked Colin.

"First, stop being an asshole," suggested Hephaistion. "I told you already, I didn't ask for your company, so, don't blame me. I suspect I'll have more problems because of your presence than help. I have no idea why somebody decided I need you here; it must be some sort of a joke."

"Now, now, this sort of attitude is counterproductive. I would expect better from you than this," admonished him Oliver.

"You don't know me," threw Hephaistion and turning away from the group, stared somewhere on the horizon.

"Apparently, I don't" agreed Director, "but as you smartly put it yourself, somebody decided we are needed here, so, swallow your pride and arrogance and, and…. well, for starters, somebody should help me onto the horse. I am tired, hungry and have no desire to spend the night in this cave."

"You want to change first," muttered Hephaistion in a tone that betrayed a slight attempt at reconciliation. He didn't wish to quarrel with anybody but why Colin couldn't stop accusing him of being the reason for everybody's journey back to his own time? He didn't even ask for Jared's company though he couldn't deny that he was happy to have him around.

The four of them went to change one by one including Neil because Hephaistion wanted to have his original clothes back. Frada and Jared waited patiently and silently outside, holding the horses. Hephaistion put on the hat and moved it very low on his eyes, his face almost completely shielded by the wide brim and the scraps of material that were attached to it. He silently handed the remaining hats to Colin and Oliver, "Please put it on, I don't want to attract attention by being the only one with a hat when there is no need for it."

By now the sun was rather low on the horizon and the heat diminished. To Jared's great relief, Colin silently lobbed the given hat on his head and almost effortlessly hurled himself onto the horse.

"Not bad," approvingly nodded Hephaistion willing to score some positive points with the resentful actor.

"Wow, somebody has been practicing, I only wonder when," noted Jared. He was pleasantly surprised by Colin's agility. It was less one small thing to worry about on their long list of predicaments.

It went less flawlessly with Oliver who needed the same type of help that Neil got from soldiers back in the village. Then the rest of them went on the horses and started trotting to the village in a single file. Most of them would prefer the faster mode of riding but for Oliver's sake they decided to take it easy.

O

It was not for the first time that Jared experienced the emotions to tire him out but after just a few hours of improvised feast he felt drained of every grain of life force that still lingered in his body when he entered the Siwah village for the second time that day. The explosion of emotions that people exhibited around him at seeing Hephaistion alive was overwhelming in its sincerity and exhilaration. All the newcomers were welcomed with no less joy and Jared gladly watched how Oliver's and Colin's hearts gradually melted not only towards their hosts but to Hephaistion as well. It didn't surprise Jared at all that Neil was greeted by the welcoming crowd with familiarity not usually shown to the person whom one hardly knew for more than an hour.

Hephaistion, not surprisingly, exhibited himself as a great tactician and experienced general for whom caring for a throng of people was nothing new. He resolutely ordered everybody to bed at rather early hours of the night despite numerous protests and assurances that they have strength to party till the next morning. Dragging himself to the assigned hut to crash at whatever bed was available there, Jared realized that nearby cot where Colin was supposed to sleep was still empty. Looking around, he noticed Hephaistion's silhouette at the door frame beckoning him to come. He cast a desperate glance at the very welcoming matrass but obeyed the gesture.

"Colin is outside in the courtyard where the palm trees surround the well. I think you're the better person to persuade him to take some rest," said the general and Jared silently nodded in agreement.

He passed a row of huts and went in the direction indicated by Hephaistion. Just as Chiliarch described, the actor was hunched under the tree, his legs pulled together up with arms around them and chin rested on the knees.

"Why didn't you go to sleep?" quietly asked Jared lowering himself into a sitting position near Colin.

"I need a cigarette and local beer sucks," emotionlessly answered the Irishman.

Jared chuckled, good-naturedly and amusingly, "well, if the quality of beer is your only beef with fourth century BC, then we have nothing to worry about."

"Don't mock me," Colin's voice was still toneless.

"I don't mock you, I am simply…."

"What? Following Hephaistion's orders to tack me into bed because it's past my curfew time?"

"All I meant to say was that I came to check upon a friend who needs a shoulder to cry or maybe a punch bag to unwind. And yes, because I don't want to lie to a friend, Hephaistion asked me to check upon you. We all need to rest because we have a hard road ahead."

"Hephaistion surely thinks I am a wimp, a useless baggage for him to take care of," Colin said following his own trail of thought.

"So, you do care what he thinks about you after all?"

"I guess," defeated, admitted Colin. He moved slightly, trying to reposition himself against the tree, its coarse bottom stems biting uncomfortably into this back. "I simply didn't expect all this, you know. I wasn't even sure I was comfortable letting you go back with Hephaistion, and, truth be told, I didn't believe it was possible. I thought Hephaistion was meant to stay with us, in the 21st century."

"To do what? Write memoirs about Alexander?"

"That would be nice."

"And who would read them, except us? Don't you think you've got a far better deal by being given a chance to meet him in real life?"

"So, you too believe that Alexander is alive?"

"Stands to reason. But first, we have to find him. And we have to save Perdiccas, you know. I wish Leonnatus didn't die in that stupid battle."

"You can put the guilt of his death on the doorstep of your friend Perdiccas. If he didn't give his co-regent position to Meleager, if he didn't give him that miniscule satrapy of Phrygia, Leonnatus would never get involved in war with Athenians and got himself killed in the first battle."

"We don't know what would happen, it's too many ifs," Jared tried to defend Perdiccas though at the bottom of his heart he also blamed the general for Leonnatus' death.

"Do you think there is any chance that the gods went on resurrection spree and are going to revive all those who were killed in the aftermath of Alexander's death?"

Jared snorted but said nothing. They sat in silence for some time and then the singer got on his feet and extended his hand to Colin.

"Let's take a wise man's advice and get some sleep. I feel we won't have this luxury for a long time."

O

Hephaistion lightly tapped on the edge of the wall and then said, "It's me, Hephaistion. Can I come in?"

"Of course," came the immediate response from inside and the general moved away the drapery that closed the entrance to Drypetis room.

"You are my husband; you don't need permission to enter."

"Maybe, but I needed you to know that it was me." Hephaistion surveyed the inside of the room. There was no luxury and very little of furniture – just a simple bed, already undone and showing coarse undyed linen, a low wooden chest that also could be used for sitting, and a simple table that boasted a small box and a single oil lamp.

"I don't spend a lot of time here," Drypetis answered the unasked question. "Or I would die of boredom long time ago. We have to go by different rules, not those of the palace. I prefer the common room, where I can do some reading, painting and talking. My Greek quite improved, you know, and you'd be appalled by the words I've learned in Macedonian. I quite enjoy practicing my writing as well and I learned some local language. Your people treat me with respect and if not an uncertain future and painful memory of your death, I could say I am happy here."

"And the death of our unborn child too," said Hephaistion and followed the silent invitation to sit on the chest.

"So, you know that already? Who told you, Laertes?"

"Yes, it was him."

An uncertain silence hung between them while they vied each other with expectation that their companion will resume the conversation.

"Except Seleucos, all the generals who wed at Susa divorced their Persian wives; do you want to do the same?" at last asked Drypetis.

"No," hurriedly said Hephaistion, "I don't intend to do so unless you ask for it yourself. It's not why I came to talk."

"What then?" asked the Princess, the sigh of relieved that escaped her lips was obvious but she didn't bother to hide it.

"I think that the only reason why gods brought me back alive is for me to continue to be at Alexander's side."

Drypetis didn't show any sign of surprise at this declaration, Hephaistion said as much during the welcoming feast. He managed to convince everybody, not that it was a hard task, that Alexander was alive as well, it was simply a matter of finding him. In the meantime, they have to try to get to Perdiccas while he still was alive. They didn't divulge the facts of Hephaistion's travels to the future or that Laertes and his friends came from there, but nobody was surprised that Hephaistion knew about what was going to happen or what already happened in the other places of the empire. For example, though the fact of Eumenos' victory over Krateros and Neoptolemos was met with incredulous glances and exclamations of disbelieve, nobody doubted the truth of it. The kidnapping of Alexander's body and Ptolemy involvement in it wasn't known as of yet though Hephaistion and others weren't sure whether it was because it didn't happen yet or because the news of it didn't reach the Siwah Oasis.

"When I find my king," continued Hephaistion, "he will decide the future of his empire. Whether he is going to take another wife instead of Stateira or will be satisfied with having Roxana as his only wife, it's up to him but I know he would not force me to divorce you. And I definitely have no desire for another wife. However, you must know that my heart belongs to my king, and only to him."

"It would be silly for a Royal Princess to expect any kind of feelings from her husband. She can only hope to give him as many heirs as possible."

"I've heard that your father and mother loved each other."

"Sometimes it happens, yes. All I ask you is to treat me with respect and when you're back at Alexander's side as the Chiliarch of his Empire, I wish you can allow me some of the freedoms I learned to enjoy during these past two years. And I also hope that our union will be blessed with children; it's all I ask and I will support you in any way you desire and in any way I can."

"You made my mission easier," admitted Hephaistion. "I would offer you the same arrangement but with bigger degree of awkwardness and mumblings. Dealing with women is not my strongest point."

Drypetis politely smiled but despite her desire to enjoy the caresses of her husband right now and then, she knew better than suggest this course of action. Instead, she pattered Hephaistion's hand with a motherly concern and said, "You must be tired because I think you had a difficult day and even more so ahead. Go have some rest; till Alexander is back, it's up to you to hold his empire together and it's not going to be an easy task."


	29. Book of Angeles, Ch 4

Title: Alexander Revisited

Disclaimer # 1: I am fully aware that the movie with the same title exists (on DVD); this story was born out of that movie but took a turn to AU where it would reside with no intention of coming into a conflict with the original creation.

Disclaimer # 2: This story is a pure fiction. I don't know the real people involved; anything they do and say in my story has nothing to do with the actual lives of those people.

A/N # 1 - Thank you, my wonderful friends, all of you who read and especially commented on the chapters that I already posted. My special regards to those who reviewed for the first time and who added this story to their favorites and story alert. It would be also wonderful to hear the thoughts of those who read the story but didn't voice their opinion yet. Thank you all.

A/N#2 – this chapter is for too_beauty, for her constant support for this story and I hope she'll accept it together with my sincere wishes for well being, strength and health.

O

They were on the road after a few days. Their company, fifty six bodies strong, included two guides given to them by the priests of Siwah as a thank you for their valiant deed of ridding the Oasis of the Thibron's mercenaries. They pushed forward as hard as they could; though the journey was somewhat slowed by the heat of the late spring they didn't have to worry about getting lost or finding a place to rest. More often than not they stayed at local temples where all their needs were taken care of including the replenishment of the supplies.

Though it was pretty obvious, especially in the beginning, that Oliver was the weakest link among the riders, he took it stoically and didn't protest much when he was first to be taken care of when they arrived at their rest spot and last to join the company on the way out. He blissfully succumbed to the ministrations of the temples' slaves who took care of his tired body. When they had to stay for a night in the places where little or no luxury was available, it was mostly Frada who took care of the director with occasional help of Theocles or some other soldiers.

There were moments when Jared envied the treatment that Oliver received and wished he was also given some slack. Though he considered himself to be better off than any other of his 21st century friends, he suspected that he was still weak from his recent ordeal, both physically and emotionally. Just after a few days of their travel it looked like Colin got so used to their way of life as if he was always part of it. Neil struggled with the challenges longer but pretty soon he caught up, if not with the experienced cavalry men as most of the troop were but at least with Colin and Jared. Drypetis looked pretty much as an Amazon princess who learned riding a horse before taking steps on the ground and Hephaistion was obviously in his element.

They have little to no time for idle socializing during their breaks because those were few and far between, however the closer they drew to Memphis, the more nervous and apprehensive everybody became. They devised several plans to accommodate different situations they could come across when they finally reach Perdiccas including the unfortunate one of arriving too late to save general's life.

They came to the former capital of the Old Kingdom late at night and were warmly accepted at the local temple of Ammon. Memphis' temple wasn't as big or as prominent as one in Siwah but the priests were friendly and well informed. They knew nothing yet about the final confrontation between Ptolemy and Perdiccas but were aware of Perdiccas' failed attempt to cross the Nile at Pelusium by clearing the old canal. Though it was welcoming news that at least the Regent wasn't dead for sure they realized they were cutting it very close. The few days or even hours could make a difference.

Though they were invited to stay a couple of days and recuperate after the strenuous journey they expressed desire to cross the Nile the next morning. They left at dawn securing promises to keep their visit secret and forded the river without any impediment. By the early afternoon they found themselves on the other bank of the Nile heading north in hopes to get to Perdiccas' camp that very day. Their calculations proved to be true; when the shadows started to lengthen, they reached the outskirts of what looked like a military camp.

"Not much in a way of guards," pensively noted Sostratos when they approached the first tents.

"They have no reason to suspect any surprises from the south," suggested Jared.

"That's a very poor excuse," said Hephaistion, "but I see they continue to use the same camp outlay as during Alexander's time. It will make our task easier. We'll go to where Perdiccas' tent should be and then split as agreed. Keep your cover, the rest of you too."

Through most of their journey, Hephaistion was sporting a loose headcover that hid most of his face except for the eyes. Some others too adopted that style so that the general wouldn't look different. He still insisted on keeping his return secret and everybody went along with his wishes.

The camp, though looking deserted from the south, was full of people but the newcomers immediately were under the impression that everybody minded their own business so much so that nobody stopped them or questioned their arrival. When the tent that most of them guessed being Perdiccas' got into view, the group was stopped for the first time by the camp's inhabitants. Still, they weren't challenged, it was more out of curiosity when somebody hailed them and asked where they were headed.

"We came from Damascus," answered Colin instead. It was decided by Hephaistion that the Irishman, one of the few people completely unknown to anybody at Perdiccas' camp, should be the voice of the group. Besides, the Chiliarch hoped that the actor, who once assumed the role of Alexander, would be able to act with a certain degree of authority and improvise if necessary. Sostratos, veiled as most of the rest of them, was nearby, in case Colin would need some help. Hephaistion himself kept in the middle, well hidden from the curious eyes by the bodies of his comrades.

"Did you bring any good news?" asked the soldier who stopped them, "we can use some here."

"Why, what's going on?" asked Colin.

"We tried several times to cross the Nile and defeat Ptolemy; it didn't go well, especially today. We should have been killing our enemies instead of butchering each other. If only King Alexander was still alive! So, what brought you here? I never saw you before. Who are all these people?"

"Don't worry, Epicletes, we're not going to cause any more rift that there is already," said Sostratos and lowered his veil so that his face could be seen in full.

"Balls of Ares, you old dog, you are still alive!" exclaimed the soldier heartily, "I never thought to see you again; there were all sorts of rumors after you vanished from Babylon. Where have you been?"

"It's a long story, maybe for another time. What's the mood in the camp?"

"Not good, nobody likes to fight their former comrades. Damn Ptolemy, why did he have to steal Alexander's body! All this bullshit about Alexander's wish to be buried in Egypt. Such nonsense, everybody knows that every Argead should be buried in Aegae or their dynasty cease to exist." Epicletes spat on the ground.

"Don't worry, my friend, we came here in hopes of remedying the situation," Sostratos took the risk of revealing that much of their purpose but he knew Epicletes for a long time and hoped his allegiances didn't change much. "We'll talk later but for now didn't tell anybody that you saw me."

"I know a few people who'd be happy to learn that you're back," Epicletes stared at Sostratos as if trying to convey some secret message. An old veteran, who served under Philip and later Parmenion, he was good not only on the battlefield but in army politics too; like many others, he developed the sixth sense for things that didn't happen yet but had all the signs of happening soon. He didn't know what it was exactly but could feel that something was afoot and couldn't pass on the chance of being in the middle of it. Of course he ran the risk of finding himself on the wrong side of the plot, but that was life and so far he never made a wrong choice.

"I don't want it to be a common knowledge," said Sostratos tersely; suddenly he wasn't sure that it was such a good idea to reveal himself.

"You worry too much," chuckled Epicletes, "or insult me for taking for a fool or traitor. I am not going to announce to the whole camp that you are back. Go now and do whatever you came to do and let me make sure that you're welcomed here afterwards," and with those words he walked away.

Sostratos turned around looking for Hephaistion's opinion but the general just shrugged his shoulders and nudged his horse forward. They rode for a few more minutes unhindered and then stopped just some meters behind Perdiccas' huge tent. Then they split as was agreed before – two thirds of their group continued towards the main entrance but the smaller group dismounted and took in different direction, intended enter the Regent's tent unnoticed. While the first, bigger group was under the joint command of Sostratos and Colin, who also took Neil with them, the smaller group was led by Hephaistion and included, in addition to ten soldiers, Jared, Oliver, Frada, Drypetis and Theocles.

From that moment, everything went so quickly that Jared had hardly any time to muse about how everything progressed. They slipped inside, if not unnoticed but at least unhindered, by promptly removing one of the pegs in the ground and cutting through the material that became loose. Hephaistion navigated silently inside, definitely knowing where he was going. After some moments he gestured to Theocles and his former page took right in the company of five soldiers; few other people peeled from their group following silent signs from Hephaistion.

Jared didn't even have time to marvel at this efficiency; he pricked up his ears at the sound of angry but somewhat hushed voices coming from somewhere very close. Hephaistion obviously heard it too and rushed forward, the rest of his team close by. Before Jared could collect his wits about anything, he found himself in the room staring at Perdiccas whose jaw dropped when he saw who the intruders were. However, the other present in the same room weren't given the chance to marvel at sudden resurrection of the Chiliarch. Seleucos went down with his throat cut by Hephaistion and Antigenes was no less efficiently killed by Frada. Peithon, the third of the intended killers, was brutally knocked to the floor and kept silent with a sword at his throat by one of the Hephaistion's men. A few moments later Theocles appeared with the rest of the group informing that a few of guards who weren't Perdiccas were either killed or restrained for further questioning.

"They killed Perdiccas' people inside," said Theocles. "Should we go now and check how Sostratos is fairing?"

"Yes, you go and take with you Pericles and Demonat. Make sure you check all the hidden corners. Frada, take Perdiccas from here and deal with him accordingly." Hephaistion's voice was so harsh and unforgiving that Jared shuddered at the misery that crossed Perdiccas' face. Hadn't he known for sure that it was all part of the plan, he would think that Hephaistion gave orders to kill his former friend. Obviously, it was what Perdiccas himself was thinking but before he could protest, Hephaistion fixed him with another glance, no less cruel as far as Jared could perceive, but apparently Perdiccas was of different opinion because he silently succumbed to Frada's rough handling and left the room without any sign of protest.

"Pull him up and make him sit on something," Hephaistion turned his attention to Peithon now and dispassionately watched as the general was dragged on his feet and roughly hauled on the wobbly three legged chair. While one of the soldiers gave the bewildered general pat on his clothes looking for hidden weapons, the other tied his feet together and grabbing his hands, bound them by the wrists behind his back.

"Is it really necessary?" Peithon tried to protest. "I doubt that gods decided to bring you back alive only to be killed right away by me or somebody else."

Hephaistion completely ignored the question and stared at Peithon with a remarkably balanced measure of rightful indignation and superiority.

"What made you take Ptolemy's side? Were you conspiring with him to steal Alexander's body as well?"

"I didn't conspire with Ptolemy," Peithon spat on the ground. "After Alexander died, it was each man for himself. There was no unity and alliances meant nothing except the promise to be broken. I took Perdiccas' side in the beginning, if you must know."

"And then you decided to kill him, why?"

"I didn't decide to kill him. We came here to talk."

"Don't take me for an idiot!"

"Fine, Perdiccas became weak. We needed another leader."

"Like yourself?"

"Why not? Seleucos and Antigenes would stand by me and so most of the troops here. We have Arrhidaeus who was proclaimed the king and took the throne name of Philip, and baby Alexander with his mother Roxana. Until Alexander's son grows to manhood…," Peithon stopped at sudden realization and staring at Hephaistion, asked, "Is Alexander alive too?"

"Yes," was the short reply of the Chiliarch.

"Where is he?" Peithon tried to wiggle around as if expecting the king to enter the premises.

"We split; Alexander went to take care of the affairs in Greece, I am here to mop this sad excuse of the war and bring the troops back to our rendezvous."

Peithon looked at Hephaistion in confusion and Chiliarch silently cursed. Without realizing it, he used a word from a different language. It slipped his tongue naturally but Hephaistion didn't have time to marvel at the ways his brain worked. Not now, at least, so he simply corrected himself, "to our agreed place of meeting. Are you going to help me or you still prefer to side with Ptolemy?"

"What kind of a question is that?" Peithon tried to sound indignant and rightly so. Seeing Hephaistion well and alive, he had no reason not to believe the same about Alexander. "But why you didn't give the same chance to Seleucos and Antigenes? They were good commanders and they would follow Alexander, no doubt about it."

"What do you know….." Hephaistion preferred to be enigmatic about his motives. "So, what was your arrangement with Ptolemy?"

"He promised us a safe passage from here if we submit to his will."

"So, you had no qualms of paying Ptolemy a lip service?"

"We didn't have much of the choice. Perdiccas was leading us into disaster and Ptolemy after all was rumored to be Alexander's brother."

"I thought you eyed the leadership position yourself?"

"As I said, alliances and promises are made to be broken. Surely, I don't have to explain it to you?"

Their conversation was interrupted by Theocles, who entered the room in the company of Colin, Neil and few of the other soldiers.

"Sostratos sends his regards," smiled Theocles, "all is good and under control."

"Very well, let's keep it that way. Laertes, do me a favor and entertain Peithon for some time. I need to take care of a few things."

Jared nodded and assumed the position on the chair previously occupied by Hephaistion. Though he knew Peithon quite well, he really didn't know what to talk with him about. So, he silently sat there, watching and listening how Hephaistion gave instruction in hush tones to some of the present. Seleucos' and Antigenes' bodies were removed from the room and shortly after Hephaistion left in the company of Drypetis. Jared was dying to go and reassure Perdiccas that Hephaistion didn't mean him any harm but he was obliged to follow Chiliarch's orders. Neither Colin, nor Neil with Oliver were of any help and Jared decided to pass time perusing the interior of the room. Peithon did the same and didn't bother Jared with any questions. Soon the silence became uncomfortable and Jared started to talk with Colin and others in English, mostly marvelling at how smoothly everything went and hoping that the gods continue to favor their enterprise. When Hephaistion returned at last, Jared gladly vacated his place.

"Where were we?" ask Hephaistion, his demeanor business like and seemingly undisturbed by the fact that the two generals just killed in this room were his comrades for many years during Alexander's campaigns. Jared was too afraid to go on this route of questioning the human side of Hephaistion's character, just as he abandoned the same attempt with respect to Alexander. "Those were different times," Jared tried to persuade himself, blindly ignoring the fact that those times "are" not "were" at the moment.

"Alexander swiftly suppressing Athenian rebellion," obliged Peithon, "and you not wanting to tarry here too long in order not to make our king waiting. I will gladly help you with this mission."

"Will you now?" Hephaistion's tone was sufficiently friendly and humorous to give Peithon hope that his life was not in danger. But Alexander's bodyguard was clever enough to surmise that this assurance had nothing to do Hephaistion's goodwill and everything with Alexander's orders. Little did he know what the reality really was.

"Of course, how can you doubt it? Ptolemy would do the same."

"Alexander is not interested in Ptolemy's cooperation," informed him Hephaistion.

"Ah….," Peithon nodded in understanding, he had no reason to doubt Hephaistion's words. "If those are the king's sentiments, I have no qualms about it. What about Perdiccas?"

"You don't have to worry about Perdiccas."

"All right," nodded Peithon; though he would prefer to see the Regent dead as well, he knew that he and Hephaistion were close and wasn't about to endanger his own position by showing too much interest in Perdiccas' fate. He was quite happy to learn that Alexander didn't want Ptolemy alive. The removal of such a powerful rival for Alexander's favor was more than enough. Seleucos and Antigenes were not as high in Alexander's empire hierarchy but they also recently became powerful and vied for higher positions. Their unexpected removal from the pack of rivals was a pleasant boon.

"Untie him," Hephaistion ordered to one of the soldiers who harried to oblige.

"You don't ask me to behave?" inquired Peithon.

"I don't remember you being such a fool as to try something stupid. Are you?"

"Of course not. I am glad you see it this way. Now, what we are going to do about Ptolemy?"

Hephaistion inwardly smiled at the "we", Peithon had no idea that he was just the means to achieve a goal and nothing else. But of course the general was not going to enlighten Alexander's former bodyguard on the matter.

"What was your plan to begin with?" he asked instead.

Peithon felt no scruples turning tables on Ptolemy, so he simply said, "We were to kill Perdiccas and send message to Ptolemy that he can come in the morning here with his troops and he will be greeted as a liberator of Perdiccas' tyrannical rule. We would forge an alliance and promise never to make a war on each other. Seleucos wanted Babylonia, I would have Media and Antigenes would have Eumenos' lands. But it's all mute now, with Alexander back, we are going to conquer even more lands. Isn't it still the plan?"

"Yes, it is. What about the troops here? Were you sure of their cooperation?"

"We had some on our side, the others would come around, everybody started to dislike Perdiccas."

"Who are those "some" that went to your side?"

"Mostly Silvershields, because Antigenes was their commander and they were looking up to him. Luckily for us, his new second in command knew nothing of this….. arrangement, we felt he was too much dedicated to Perdiccas. Now it will be to our advantage."

"What's his name?"

"Teutamos, son of Lakoon from Paeonia. He is well liked, though he doesn't have Antigenes experience but I think the Silvershields will accept him as their new commander, especially when they learn that the appointment came from Alexander."

"Very well. However for now, they have to learn that the appointment came from Perdiccas and supported by you. I don't wish anybody in the camp to know that both Alexander and I are alive. How you were going to send message to Ptolemy?"

"After we dealt with Perdiccas, Antigenes was supposed to go to Ptolemy to bring the news. I guess now we have to find another messenger."

"I guess," Hephaistion pretended to think for a moment. "Actually, you seem to me like a perfect candidate."

"You trust me to go alone?"

"Of course I trust you," smirked the general, "but the waters of the Nile can be treacherous, especially at night, and I don't remember you as a strong swimmer. So, you'll have a few of my people to accompany you. Sounds fair?"

"Very fair. And Hephaistion, whatever you think about me, I do not intend to betray you, because it would mean to betray Alexander, and I would never do that. Even if I was to go alone to Ptolemy, you'd have nothing to worry. With Alexander back, my allegiances are to him, and him alone."

"I believe you," nodded Hephaistion. "I have to discuss some things with Perdiccas. After that, we'll come back and you'll make peace with him and summon Teutamos and those of the Silvershields who you think would cause most of the trouble following Perdiccas' orders. Perdiccas will announce the death of Seleucos and Antigenes and appointment of Teutamos as their new commander. You will show the utmost support for the Regent and condemn the conspirators as villains who wished to destroy the unity of the Macedonian Army. After that, you're going to cross the Nile and convince Ptolemy that the fruit is ripe and ready for his easy picking. I leave Theranos and Amphitor to take care of you in the meantime. If you need anything, let them know."

"Of course," agreed Peithon. He had a lot on his mind and was rather glad to be left alone in order to think about what happen and devise a proper plan to get back into Alexander's favor and get even higher position than before.

O

They followed Hephaistion out the room leaving Peithon under the "friendly" guard of those who would cut his throat without hesitation should the somatophylax do anything to disobey Hephaistion's orders. After they crossed a few empty rooms and took some turns around and across the abandoned premises, as if out of blue they found themselves in a rather small and overly perfumed bedroom with curtains hanging everywhere, overlapping each other in some weird arrangement of gaudiness.

"I can't believe that they managed to pack so much stuff in their tents," Colin whispered to Oliver, "can you imagine reconstructing all this for the movie?"

"My only concern would be that I have less millions to burn than Alexander," murmured Oliver lowing himself into some sort of settee without waiting for anybody's invitation.

"So, how did it go with Peithon?" asked Perdiccas.

"Everything went well," smiled Hephaistion, "The gods must be with us. He believed me when I said Alexander was restoring his power in Athens and among all other allies who wanted to split from the League. Obviously, seeing me alive, he had no reason to doubt my words about Alexander. He didn't even bother to shed some fake tears over Seleucos and Antigenes and was quick to realize that Ptolemy's death would mean one less powerful rival for Alexander's favor. Also, as you predicted, he suggested Teutamos for the commander of Silvershields. Are you sure in his loyalty?"

"Not as sure as you should be in mine, but under the circumstances, he'll do. Did Peithon agree to bring over Ptolemy?"

"Yes, and I hope it will go as well as if it was Antigenes himself."

"What do you mean?" asked Jared. Like the others, he was following the conversation between Hephaistion and Perdiccas and was rather relieved to realize that there was no antagonism or any sort of tension between two of them though he felt a little disappointed that with Hephaistion back, Perdiccas seemed to ignore him completely. Frankly, he hoped for a far more joyous reunion, but Perdiccas simply nodded in his direction when they entered the bedroom. Obviously, when Hephaistion stepped away from the room where Peithon was, he did so in order to go to Perdiccas, appraise him of the situation and reassure of his good will.

"Peithon told me that it was agreed beforehand that Antigenes would go over to Ptolemy and tell him about Perdiccas' murder and invite him over to make peace between two groups. It obviously went well because Diodorus wrote…."

"You read Diodorus?" exclaimed Jared in surprise. "When?"

"Yes, I did while you were being released from the hospital and we waited to go to back to Siwah; I needed to know what to expect, didn't I?"

"I think we can discuss it later," hurriedly intervened Colin making face which he hoped would be interpreted the way he wanted, namely that Perdiccas, Drypetis and Frada, who were also present, won't start asking unnecessary questions.

"Don't worry," Hephaistion dismissed Colin's concern, "I told them everything. It would be difficult to function otherwise."

"Your told them everything?!" the 21st century tetrad exclaimed in unison.

"Well, yes," Hephaistion seemed unperturbed, "Do you have any problem with it?"

Jared was the first to sum up his comrades' exasperation, "And you didn't think it was necessary to ask us first?"

"I would ask, but there was no time for it, I couldn't exactly invite you for a proper debate."

"This is so like you!" Colin angrily jumped from his place and started to pace a rather packed premises. "You never consult with anybody, you never ask for our opinion; of course, why bother, you simply don't care!"

"Alexander, calm down," cheerfully said Perdiccas.

"Very funny!" spitted the Irishmen.

"Very well, I am sorry," conceded Hephaistion, "I will make my amends later, but now can we please return to the matter at hand?"

"I don't see why you need us for that," Colin's voice was dripping with sarcasm, "you do quite well on your own."

"Colin, Hephaistion is right, let's discuss it later," Neil voiced his opinion.

"Of course you would support him," Colin stared with contempt at his fellow actor.

"If you meant I would support him because I played Perdiccas, so obviously should you because you played Alexander," retorted Neil.

"Colin, please," now it was Oliver's turn to join the peacemakers' side, "there is a lot at stake. I can actually see Hephaistion's point. It's easier this way, but of course he should have asked us," the director shot a reproaching glance in Chiliarch's direction, who wisely met it with a proper degree of repentance.

"Fine," Colin was still angry and because of that he even more hated to admit to himself that Hephaistion might be right and in any case, they couldn't afford wasting their time on pinning blame on the stubborn general.

"Well, if we are back in business, here is the plan," Hephaistion assumed the leading role, "We go back to Peithon where he and Perdiccas will make peace and swear to each other to work together towards the common goal of helping Alexander. I will assure Peithon that the king will look more than kindly on his behavior. You all will exchange oaths that you are not going to betray to anybody the fact that both Alexander and I are alive. Then we will exit the room leaving only Perdiccas and Jared there in Peithon's company. Don't worry, we all will be able to listen and even see what going on from the adjacent room.

Peithon will summon Teutamos and a balanced amount of Silvershields' captains who are pro and con Perdiccas; Sostratos was given orders to bring those cavalry commanders who were mostly supportive of Perdiccas. Then our dear Regent will make an inspired speech about unity and keeping Alexander's legacy alive, Peithon will second this opinion and inform all the present about conspiracy between Seleucos, Antigenes and Ptolemy and that their punishment was and will be just. After that, Peithon leaves for Ptolemy's camp and the rest will prepare a little spectacle for arrival of Ptolemy and his troops. Ptolemy is to be brought to a swift trial and exemplary executed. All troops unite under Perdiccas' leadership. By that time, the messengers from Eumenos should arrive declaring his victory over Krateros."

"I still can't believe that he managed to do that," Perdiccas shook his head.

"Then why did you leave him in charge of that task?" asked Hephaistion with a certain degree of humor.

"I didn't have any other candidates. What I was supposed to do?"

"Maybe if you didn't alienate Leonnatus…." Reproached him Jared. Though he knew long time ago that Leonnatus was to die, he still couldn't come to terms with his death. He liked his company a lot and sincerely wished for him be saved too.

"Everything went so well according to the plan," Perdiccas signed, "I still can't understand how he got himself cornered in that swamp; damn the Thessalians who sided with Greeks."

"Or damn you who in a time of need wanted to save your own neck kicking Leonnatus of the Regents' council and giving his place to Meleager," noted Jared.

"Is this what you think about me in the future?" sadly asked Perdiccas.

"Are you saying it was not your decision?"

"It was OUR decision!"

"And whom do you mean by OUR? Meleager, Ptolemy, Arrhidaeus maybe?" continued his interrogation Jared. Yes, he was very fond of Perdiccas but he found it difficult to forgive him Leonnatus' death.

"Don't be stupid, of course not!" Perdiccas defended himself. "I meant myself, Leonnatus and Nearchos."

"You have to explain it better," said Hephaistion. Of course, he wasn't happy about Leonnatus' death either but he didn't blame Perdiccas as others did. After all, battle is battle, and anybody could lose and die during one.

"The first night after Alexander's death," Perdiccas started, "the three of us kept a private council. We knew we had too many enemies and we decided it was wiser to go against the common sense of keeping together. If we would split, nobody will suspect us as allies. The best place for Leonnatus was Macedon; he was to counter Antipater's influence, either as ally or opponent, depending on how the events would unfold. After all, Leonnatus was a former royalty and a distant relation to Alexander. It was our plan for him to court Cleopatra, and later he succeeded though the actual marriage never took place because of his untimely death. Nearchos was to ally himself with Antigonus.

When Meleager revolted and I had to make peace with him by offering Leonnatus' place in the Guardian's council, we thought it was sign from above, nobody would ever suspect us as friends, and Nearchos completely alienated himself by trying to proclaim Alexander's supposed son Heracles as candidate for the throne. Everything went so well for us in the beginning. Leonnatus managed to make friends with both Antipater and Olympia, a rare fit of diplomacy. If only he didn't die!" Perdiccas felt silent.

"And how many knew about this arrangement?" asked Hephaistion.

"Very few. We agreed to communicate, especially in the beginning, only in dire emergencies or if we get news of utter importance. But they both supported the plan to lure Ptolemy with Alexander's body."

"Ah?" Hephaistion looked puzzled and so were the rest of the listeners.

Perdiccas looked around at the confused faces of all the present and said, "I guess this didn't make to history books either. So, everybody thought me for such an idiot as to allow Alexander's body to be snatched by Ptolemy. Well, I have to admit, it was the plan; I mean, we planned it that way, so that nobody will suspect anything; though of course I didn't count on being betrayed and killed by Seleucos and others."

"You have to elaborate a little on that," said Hephaistion.

"Well, I thought it was pretty obvious. With Leonnatus watching Antipater and Athens, Nearchos doing his best with Antigonus, the only real threat from our former comrades was Ptolemy. The bastard was always too ambitious, and clever, I have to admit. We had to eliminate him right away, before he got too much power. But we needed an excuse to declare a war on him, and what a better excuse than to avenge the stealing Alexander's body?"

"You dared to use Alexander's body as bait?" Quietly but no less menacingly asked Hephaistion.

"It worked."

"It didn't!" exclaimed Hephaistion, "you got yourself killed!"

"Well, there is always that risk. But look, you are well and alive, despite the fact that you were mummified and cremated. I am sure I didn't risk Alexander's resurrection by allowing Ptolemy to bring his body to Egypt."

Jared looked with renewed respect at Perdiccas. His plans backfired but he had to admit, those were extremely clever plans and their actual execution was not only successful but never came to light later. Did Ptolemy ever learn that he was duped? Even if he did, it was understandable why he never mentioned it in his memoirs. Or maybe he discovered about the existence of this plan and decided to keep it quiet and use it to his own advantage? Jared wished he had the chance to ask Ptolemy this question but even if he had, how could he know that would-be Pharaoh was telling the truth?

"Very well," admitted Hephaistion, "I see that we have a lot to tell each other. Let's concentrate on the present for now. Hopefully, we'll have time later for swapping stories."

This time nobody objected to Hephaistion's plan. Not that there were objections before or that anybody could find any flaws, Jared's and Colin's main reason for frustration with Hephaistion's ideas was that the Chiliarch tended to act on his own informing everybody else about his decisions post factum.

Perdiccas played his role of reconciling with Peithon well and the other general seemed eager to make a good impression, which he realized was imperative in gaining Alexander's favor back. The appointment of Teutamos as a new commander of Silvershields went equally well and cavalry leaders played along. The vibe of unity that people got from Perdiccas' and Peithon's unexpected bond was very beneficial for everybody's present mood. Seleucos and Antigenes were branded as traitors and Ptolemy was declared guilty of the same transgression and sentenced to death in absence. They all swore to each other to allow as little bloodshed as possible when Ptolemy's troops cross the Nile, there was no need to keep soldiers and officers responsible for the general's betrayal.

After that the small assembly dispersed, Peithon got ready to leave to lure Ptolemy to their shore and others went to talk to their troops and prepare them for Ptolemy's arrival. Neil, Oliver and Colin chosen to keep Perdiccas' company when he went around the camp and Jared unexpectedly decided that he needed to visit Roxana. He remembered that he have left the Queen some three years ago without formerly saying goodbye and hoped that she would be happy to see him again especially if he brought her reassurances that there was no threat to herself or her son. And he was very curious to meet the toddler Alexander, will he be able to see the glimpses of the father in the son? Hephaistion, Frada, Drypetis and some twenty soldiers that came with them from Siwah and now stayed as bodyguards against any unexpected development were all in Perdiccas' tent acting as conversion point for the different fractions that went to work on troops' cooperation.

Everybody got just a few hours of sleep that night with so many things happening during the day and the next one was promised to be no less eventful and decisive.

They would never know now what went between Ptolemy and Antigenes but Peithon was just as successful in his endeavors. Early in the morning, he came back with Ptolemy and his troops who were greeted enthusiastically as liberators of Perdiccas' tyrannical rule by those who were chosen to play in this elaborated spectacle. Just as in the original version of the event, Ptolemy gave a very eloquent speech explaining his reasons for abducting Alexander's body; then he wished for peace between armies, pledged his support to restoration of unity between different factions and offered immediate help with supplies of grain and other necessities. He expressed his gratitude to Peithon and Arrhidaeus, the general who conducted Alexander's body to Macedon and rather openly hinted that he'd give his full support for their mutual appointment as heads of former Perdiccas' army. Little did he know that not only Peithon easily betrayed him in order to save his own skin but Arrhidaeus, whom Ptolemy thought instrumental in his own success of kidnapping Alexander's body, had worked for Perdiccas all along.

There were cheers and excited fraternization between two opposite camps of former Alexander's army. Soon the whole throng was divided into smaller groups, without any particular order, as it would seem to the unsuspicious eyes. In reality, Ptolemy's army was cleverly divided by Perdiccas' and Peithon's collaborators into easily manageable groups which could be easier managed depending on whether they accept Ptolemy's fall or try to defend their general. This time it was not only Hephaistion who was forced to remain hidden. Perdiccas was supposed to be dead to Ptolemy and his men, Jared was ordered inside just in case Ptolemy can get a glimpse of him and get suspicious. Sostratos and most of his men also didn't show themselves in order not to invite questions. Only Colin, Neil and Oliver, whose faces were not familiar to Ptolemy, were allowed to mingle with the troops.

After an hour or so of general jubilation, Ptolemy was invited inside the tent which Peithon said was requisitioned from Perdiccas. He left Nicanor, his second-in-command, to oversee their troops though he took a few of his lieutenants at his side. All through that, Peithon couldn't keep his mouth shut about how happy he was that things turned this way, Arrhidaeus seconded his opinion about lucky turn of events but prudently reminded about possible Perdiccas' supporters at the camp and the necessity to flash them out and deal with them in the most determined way without further delay. Soon, more officers joined them for an improvised midday feast which everyone seems eager to use as a war/peace council where the further course of action was decided.

Ptolemy was not a man who trusted anybody easily but so far he couldn't notice anything suspicious. He attributed somewhat overly enthusiastic behaviour of Peithon to the fact that the general not only managed successfully to organize the coup where his chief adversary, Perdiccas, lost his life but also get rid of his rather prominent co-conspirators Seleucos and Antigenes leaving him unexpectedly at the helm of power in this corner of the world. Nevertheless, Ptolemy remained on guard and wasn't as eager as his new found allies to betrays his plans but he was obliged to share some knowledge at least in order not to appear overly suspicious and reluctant to contribute to general success.

He got a few updates from his men who brought the news about the continued accord and heart gladdening merrymaking among the troops and just when he was about to express desire to go outside to see how the things went, he was asked to stay a little longer since an important matter was just brought to Peithon's attention that required immediate discussion.

"A matter of what?" asked Ptolemy.

"A matter of your betrayal," announced Perdiccas stepping from behind one of the curtains that separated this room from the others instead of walls.

Before Ptolemy could express his surprise at seeing his enemy well and alive, he was pertly asked by Arrhidaeus to relinquish his weapons. Ptolemy cast about his glance. He and his few men were heavily outnumbered.

"You are never going to get away with my murder," he declared calmly ignoring the order to give up his weapons, "My army…."

"Is no longer your concern or at your disposal," advised him Peithon. "You have no idea how many things you have no idea about. Sostratos," he called out the name that Ptolemy didn't hear for a long time, "will you please read the list of our accusation against the general?"

Sostratos entered the room and Ptolemy got another shock at seeing both Jared and Frada on the both sides of Hephaistion's lieutenant. Sostratos read from the list dispassionately and in the end said, "We are not going to waste a few remaining hours of your life going through the futile process of deciding your fate. You were already tried in your absence and found guilty. If you have any last wishes, please express them now, you are going to be executed at the sunset."

"What, you are not going cut my throat in the dark corner? No? I see, you are all too eager to imitate Alexander's trial of Philotas. Too bad Hephaistion is dead and can't torture me."

Hearing those defiant words Peithon smirked but remained silent of the matter. Instead, he said, "If you value the lives of your men present here, order them to obey my orders or I have no problem cutting their throats in the dark corner. Tyrimmas," he ordered his lieutenant, "please relieve the general of his weapons and bind him. I will leave ten men with you to guard him while the rest of us take care of other business."

Ptolemy didn't resist his arrest. He knew his life was forfeited though a sliver of hope in some miracle still remained, as long as he was alive. If he was to be executed before the troops, as Philotas once was, there was some chance, though as miniscule as a grain of sand in the desert, that the army may wish to keep him alive and execute Perdiccas and Peithon instead. But even if that wasn't going to happen, it was better to die facing his enemies with open eyes and maybe some defiant words, than being strangled in some dark corner of this unexpected prison. Being left alone, he mused how his fortune turned so drastically in a matter of hours. Was he a fool to trust Peithon? No, Ptolemy decided, it was never a matter of trust, he didn't place confidence in Peithon or anybody else for that matter; he simply took his chances at what looked like a good opportunity at the time. He lost and there was nothing in his power to change this course of events.

O

"Aren't you going to reveal yourself to Ptolemy?" asked Jared when he joined Hephaistion in the small enclosure from where the Chiliarch watched the proceedings of the spectacle he himself so aptly orchestrated.

"Why? I have nothing to discuss with him and despite what you think of me, I don't wish to gloat. "

"You don't know what I think of you," Jared defended himself. Suddenly, he remembered, "Did you watch the movie?"

"What movie?"

"Alexander, of course."

"No…. and probably now I will never have the chance."

"Who knows these things…." Jared laughed, "This is actually one of the phrases Alexander says in the movie. There is this famous scene on the balcony at Babylon between you and Alexander."

"I am sure many men said this phrase."

"Yes, of course, but I meant another phrase when I asked whether you saw the movie. During this balcony scene, you say to Alexander "like a dear listening in the wind you strike me still, Alexander. You have eyes like no other. I sound as stupid as a school boy, but you're everything I care for. And by the sweet breath of Aphrodite I'm so jealous of losing you to this world you want so badly."

"I am sure it's not what you think about me."

"Not in that meaning, no. But you also strike me still."

"But not speechless," Hephaistion smiled.

"You have a cruel sense of humor. Friends?" Jared smiled in return and crooking his pinky in a childish gesture of promise tried to elicit the same response from Hephaistion.

The Chiliarch elegantly raised his right brow and said, "Friends of course, but I am not sure what that gesture means. I hope in your time your smallest finger doesn't represent a phallus?"

"What?" for a moment Jared was taken aback and then hysterically laughed. "I completely forgot you have a very dirty mind, son of Amyntor."

"I didn't realize you knew it."

"Well, in my recent sojourn in Susa I was told about the stories you wrote in Mieza and how Aristotle caught Alexander reading one of your stories. You know, in our times many people who study Alexander are aware of the correspondence you and Aristotle had; unfortunately, not a single letter survived, but everybody hopes to find those letters one day. I am afraid they are going to get a shock of their life if they discover what the two of you corresponded about!"

"Oh," Hephaistion chuckled, "none survived? Maybe it's for the better. Though, for most of the time, it was quite innocent stuff. Except when I wrote him…. well, doesn't matter, really. "

"What, what did you write? Tell me."

"I said, doesn't matter. Nothing worthy of quoting."

"Well," it was Jared's turn to secretly smile, "I am sure nothing beats Diogenes' phrase about you and Alexander."

"What phrase?"

"Don't you know?"

"No, I don't. Tell me."

"Fine, but only if you promise to reconstruct some of the stories you wrote for Aristotle, or for guys at Mieza."

"Shish, Jared, how old are you?"

"It doesn't matter. I just like to have some examples of your fine penmanship with me forever."

"Fine, I can reconstruct some of my stories. Or I can even write something new, specifically for you? Would you like that?"

"Oh, yes!" Jared's eyes lit up.

"All right then, I'll think of something later. Say, about you and Colin?"

"Where did you get that idea?!"

"My dirty mind?"

Jared theatrically moaned and covered his face with the palms of his hands, but his shoulders were shaking with the bouts of hysterical laugher he couldn't supress. When his fit was over, he looked at Hephaistion and saw the sparkles of mirth still dancing in his beautiful eyes.

"You are amazing, man!" Jared said desperately trying to get serious but he couldn't stop himself from saying, "so, that phrase of Diogenes, he said, he said that Alexander was never defeated except by Hephaistion's thighs." When the last sounds escaped Jared's mouth, he looked at Hephaistion, but the general was unimpressed.

"Yes, it makes sense, I was always better at wrestling and beat Alexander all the time," said Hephaistion seriously.

"He didn't mean wrestling, he meant something else."

"How do you know what he meant?" the Chiliarch asked seriously.

"I…. everybody…. Isn't it obvious? Where is your dirty mind now?"

"Ah, Jared, you are such an easy game," Hephaistion smiled benevolently, "of course I know what he meant. But enough of that. We have more serious stuff to attend to."

"Yes, you are right. It was nice talking to you like that. We should do more of these friendly chats, and you still owe me a story, right?"

"Sure thing, now go and make yourself useful.

O

It was getting dark when Ptolemy's execution took place. The general was tied to a pole, his hands cruelly twisted behind his back and he was stripped of any markings of his rank. To make his mental suffering even more unbearable, he was positioned in such a way that his glance was directed at the humble funeral pyre where Seleucos and Antigenes bodies waited to be burned, waited for him to join. Otherwise, he could see soldiers and officers with grim faces but he could see very little compassion in them so his desperate hope that the tide may turn in his favor died without ever being given chance to flourish. He saw quite a few of those whom he recognized being part of his own troops and who just a few days ago fought at his side.

Paying little attention to Sostratos who was reading again from the long list of charges that were thrown at his face earlier in the afternoon, Ptolemy marveled at the cruelty of gods who in his last moments decided to turn his former victory into defeat. He was so proud a year ago when he managed to recruit a lot of cavalrymen from the former Hephaistion's chiliarchy away from Perdiccas but now they all turned away from him, seeing Sostratos, their former comrade and even superior for many, who was much liked and highly respected, siding with Perdiccas and Peithon.

At least, there was no mockery or booing. Publicly executing a general was a daring and rather solemn act and it was far nobler that their own plans for Perdiccas but it didn't console Ptolemy much. He was so lost in his own thoughts that the pain of the first javelin tearing through his flesh came to him as a surprise. "I wish I died in battle," were the last thoughts of the Pharaoh-that-never-came-to-be before the death claimed him.

After the deed was done, Ptolemy's body was placed together with those of Seleucos and Antigenes and both Perdiccas and Peithon gave a short speech mentioning their merits when three of them were at Alexander's side and how sad it was to witness what became of them afterwards. Despite Ptolemy's broodings in the last moments of his life seeing so little support for this cause, there were a lot of soldiers and officers who didn't much like what happened.

Evening turned into the uneasy night and the next few days were dedicated to bringing accord and cooperation to the united army. It was not easy; during the last months the men fought each other on numerous occasions and grim shadows of those who died haunted the camp asking the desperate question "Why? Why we had to die and you got to leave and rejoice in peace?"

It was the morning of the third day after Ptolemy's execution when some junior officer burst into the breakfast area where Perdiccas, Arrhidaeus, Teutamos and some other generals and officers were congregated.

"Peithon was found dead in his bed!" the officer exclaimed, "somebody killed him in his sleep, please come immediately."

Everybody rushed outside and run to the Peithon's tent. They found the general sprawled in his bed, blood from his cut throat splashed all over him and the bed. Another wound was in the heart, probably to symbolize his treachery of Ptolemy's course. One of his pages was lying also dead near the bed and somebody in a low voice informed the newcomers that few others of Peithon's people were found dead inside the tent. Upon a closer inspection, one man was found still alive and he managed to identify some of their attackers. The hunt spread over the camp and soon afterwards few of the killers were founds, some slaughtered on the spot and some dragged to Peithon's tent and executed over the dead general's body. Nobody was surprised to learn that the killers were from Ptolemy's camp. The fact obviously gave an excuse to kill a few more of those who, though were not directly implicated in Peithon's murder but voiced their disagreement with Ptolemy's execution way too openly.

Perdiccas allowed the hunt and the killing to go for a few hours but by mid-afternoon he stopped it with a very resolute hand. It was wise to get rid of the most obvious discontents but he wasn't about to kill everybody who came to him from Ptolemy's side.

Jared, Colin, Neil and Oliver, obviously didn't take any part in the killings and preferred to stay close to Peithon's tent and from time to time went back to Hephaistion to apprise him of the situation. All four of them strongly suspected that Peithon's murder wasn't just a lucky coincidence and both Chiliarchs have their hands in that but they didn't have a proof and, quite honestly, didn't want to know any of the details.

In the evening, there was another funeral to attend. Peithon was given far more imposing last rites than his predecessors and the bodies of his supposed assassins were thrown at the bottom of the construction. Grand speeches were made and Jared, despite all his love for Perdiccas found it sickening to listen how the general heaped praise after praise on his new found ally.

"Good acting," Colin said coldly to Jared in English. "I would believe him completely if I didn't know better."

"I read that in the different reality, after Perdiccas was murdered, Ptolemy and others gave very high praises to their "fallen" comrade when they gave him last honors. It's just the way it is. I don't like it any better, but I am glad it was Perdiccas who survived now. When Hephaistion died, I am sure many of the tears shed were the fake one. And I believe it's true about Alexander's death too. Remember that."

"Maybe. I am sick and tired of this place. I hope we can move soon out of here. Since we are stuck for god knows how long in this time, I want to see Babylon. I wonder if we can travel there."

"Maybe we will. It's a good place to search for Alexander."

The pyre was still burning when everybody dispersed and when the fire died by the morning, the ashes were collected and placed in the unimposing receptacle. Perdiccas intended to send them back to Macedon but the ashes of three other generals were buried in the outskirts of the camp.

The atmosphere in the camp was somewhat grim, Peithon's murder spoiled a rather celebratory mood that prevailed in the camp since the two armies reunited. Just when Perdiccas was about to give order to start the preparation for the breaking camp next morning, the messengers arrived from Eumenos bringing news of his victory over Krateros and Neoptolemos. The timing couldn't have been better. Right after Peithon's murder the rumors started that the gods were angry with both generals for Ptolemy's execution and Peithon was the first to bear their displeasure. Now, the tide reversed. Eumenos' victory was a huge boost for Perdiccas' reputation and everybody went jubilant.

After the messengers were given a brief reprieve from their journey they were assaulted from all the sides with demands of the details of how the battle went. The gloomy mood of the camp was unexpectedly lifted and though this victory was still over their former brothers-in-arms and Krateros was a much beloved and respected general, everybody enjoys being victorious and many improvised merrymakings took place that evening in the camp. The carousing spilled well into the night and even the early hours of the morning.

The poor Sostratos and his men were given the task of taking care of the camp security that night but they took it in good spirits and said they were going to collect a big prize from Alexander when their king is back.

"To the victorious coup!" Frada announced the first toast when all the rest came together in their own private celebration. "It went indeed well, praised be Ahuramazda and your own Olympian gods. Who knows, maybe Alexander had a word or two in how this all unravelled."

"Praised the gods indeed but I'd prefer Alexander be here with us instead of watching over us from above," said Hephaistion, raising his сup high and making a circling motion with it paying his respects to all the present.

"I am sure sooner or later he will be with us, though we all want it to happen rather sooner," commented Perdiccas. "In the meantime, Hephaistion, you have the highest rank here but you prefer to stay in shadows. Don't you want to take your rightful place at the helm of Alexander's empire?"

"When Alexander is back I will assume my place at his side. In the meantime, the honor is all yours, Perdiccas."

"But why?" the general insisted. "If the people know you're back and there is a high hope that Alexander is alive too, so much bloodshed can be avoided. In the meantime, you'll unite all the currently disjoined parts of his empire. I am sure that under your command, we won't have much resistance."

"I already said no, Perdiccas. I can't waste my time reconquering Alexander's empire, which is not going to be as easy as you describe. I am sorry, my friend, you'll have to do it on your own. I am sure with your victory over here it will be much easier. Eumenos is firmly on your side and both Antipater and Antigonus will think twice before attempting anything against you. They won't be overly enthusiastic, but you can do it. Leave general Arrhidaeus as your governor in Egypt, you'll get a lot of help from this province, especially in terms of supplies. You can buy every single city in Greece with the grain that Egypt has to offer. "

"Still, it will be so much easier for you than for me," Perdiccas wasn't persuaded. "And besides, isn't it simpler to look for Alexander at the head of the biggest army and empire than on you own, with the help of a few people? I am sure even Alexander would have agreed on this approach!"

"Actually, I wouldn't."

The king's quiet but firm voice silenced the hum that hang around the room and everybody jumped from their seats looking in the same direction.

Alexander simply stood there, leaning on one of the beams that supported the entrance to the room. Seeing the rush of people towards him, he smiled and took a few steps inside the room. Those closest to him – Perdiccas, Theocles and Jared threw themselves at the king crushing him with their hugs and uttering wordless cries of wonder and exultation. After a few moments Alexander managed to free himself from their embraces and turned in the direction where Hephaistion stood, tears of joy falling freely on his cheeks and trembling lips.

"You are alive," he whispered softly and hurriedly took a few steps to close the distance between himself and Alexander. Their bodies met with a crush and they squeezed each other in the tightest embrace possible.

"I told you they liked to hug but you didn't believe me!" exclaimed Oliver cheerfully.

Colin happily laughed and Neil said, "Wait till they get past the hugs, I wonder what you'll say then!"

Everybody looked with tender emotions on the pair of lovers reunited under the most impossible of the circumstances. Nobody dared to interrupt their embrace and the quiet words of love that Alexander and Hephaistion whispered to each other were heard loud and clear in the absolute silence of the scene. Disregarding everybody present, their hug turned into very passionate and urgent kiss and their hands started to roam each other backs.

"Should we remind them that they are not alone?" whispered Oliver who nevertheless couldn't take his eyes from the kissing couple.

"Or that Drypetis is present?" even quieter murmured Neil.

The princess was sitting on the other side of the room but there wasn't a single hint of resentment or displeasure on her face. Instead, she, just like the others, was smiling happily and nodded her agreement as if Hephaistion was her brother and not the husband.

"Well, Alexander, can we get some attention too," Jared was the first to voice his opinion but he did it only when he saw that the pair was about to break their kiss.

"What kind of attention do you hope to get now, Laertes?" smiling, asked Alexander without turning his head in actor's direction; instead, he continued to enjoy the kisses that Hephaistion was placing all over his face and drowning in the eyes of his beloved.

"Should we leave you two alone for some time, my king?" asked Perdiccas.

Hephaistion at last stopped kissing Alexander and reluctantly freeing himself from his lover's embrace, took his hand instead and guided him to the couch where he was sitting before.

"And leave you all here to speculate what we are doing in private? In minutiae details?" blissfully beaming asked the Chiliarch.

"What is there to speculate?" Colin broadly smiled.

"I don't know your face, who are you might be?" asked Alexander comfortably placing his body next to that of Hephaistion.

"Unfortunately, we couldn't bring over his wig, otherwise you would have no problem recognizing his identity," declared Jared and deftly caught with his right hand a dried fig that the Irishman hurled in his direction at hearing this tirade.

Hephaistion, Neil and Oliver started to laugh though others were puzzled by this cryptic phrase.

"Alexander, this is Colin," to everybody's surprise it was Perdiccas who started the introductions, "he played your part in this sort of play that they call movie in the future, to his right is Oliver, the person who created this movie, and next to him is Neil, who played my part."

"I see you know a lot about each other," Alexander nodded in satisfaction, "I am glad you forged this alliance. And I am so very glad to see you all here."

"Though I am sure Hephaistion is the happiest man alive right now," started Theocles whose eyes were shining with agitation "we all immensely glad to have you back and I am sure all the army will go crazy in jubilation when they learn the two of you are alive. Can you tell us what happened to you? Were you indeed dead or just sent away until the time came for you to return? Do you remember anything? You seemed not overly surprised to find us here and I suspect you know what's going on?"

"Well, probably it's a good idea right now to tell you my story. It will distract me from the other thoughts I am having at the moment," said the king and ignoring all those present, suggestively placed his hand on Hephaistion's thigh.

"So, do you still insist that Diogenes was talking about the wrestling when he mentioned your thighs?" Jared asked Hephaistion with a wink and the Chiliarch bent with laughter in a sudden fit of hilarity.

"What's so funny?" asked Alexander in confusion.

Hephaistion continued to laugh and now he was joined by Colin, Neil and Oliver who caught up with the humor of Jared's question a moment later than the general.

"I'll tell you afterwards," trying to stop laughter Hephaistion promised to Alexander. "But please, tell us what happened to you after you died?"

"If you wish," consented Alexander and after planting a brief kiss on Hephaistion's lips started his narration. "I remember lying in my bed in Babylon. I remember pain, I felt it with my whole body and it was excruciating. But then the pain stopped and I found myself standing in a middle of a field surrounded by very beautiful flowers. Those were flowers of a kind I never saw before and they were everywhere, it was like a sea of the most beautiful flowers and nothing else; as far as I could see, there were those flowers, they went into the horizon and merged with a beautiful cloudless sky. The sun was shining but it wasn't scourging so I just stood there and wondered about this marvel…."

"For three years?" piped in Jared.

"Oh, for the Christ sake, can you shut up!" Colin shot his fellow actor a menacing look.

But Alexander wasn't offended, he simply shook his head and continued, "Well, I don't know for how long I stood there, I simply remember being amazed at the beauty of the flowers and wondering if I was in Elysium Fields. But I couldn't see any other soul there, human or even animal and no birds but I do remember that those flowers smelled so good. Somehow, I could discern the individual smell of different types of flowers. I wondered at that too and then suddenly I saw a path before me, and there was a figure walking in my direction. I couldn't first discern a form, but shortly I realized that it was a woman. Then I could actually see that she was quite old and shriveled and her face wasn't familiar to me at all. But the closer she came, the younger she became and when she faced me she was just a young maiden.

She told me she knew who I was but asked me not to inquire her name. She was there to give me a choice of my destiny; but before that she told me about all the events that happened since my death and what, whom and where I would find when I come back. Many of the events saddened my heart greatly and I briefly wondered if I ever be able to set the things right.

"And now your two choices," the maiden said. "The first one, after you come back to your comrades, you will leave you kingdom to whom you desire or don't leave it again to anybody. You will be just a man, without titles or extravagant riches and the only treasure you'll be allowed to keep is Hephaistion. You will travel to the distant lands together, seeing incredible sights and meeting all kinds of people, you will be able to travel to the past and to the future and do it on your own volition. You'll have a very long and happy life together but you can't make you presence known in the any parts of the world where you can be recognized."

"What is the second choice?" I asked eagerly.

"The second choice," she said, "you resume your rightful title of the king of all the lands that you conquered with Hephaistion at your side."

"And?" I asked impatiently.

"And I can't tell you anything else," said the maiden dispassionately. Then she told me to choose quickly, she told me the choice was mine only as long as the single flower was left in the field, after which moment I will have no choice, just the coldness of death.

The moment she said her last word, she disappeared and I realize that the flowers were disappearing too, all two quickly to my taste. Just after a few moments only a number of flowers were left. Never, during the shiftiest of battles, I had to make a decision that quickly. I shouted my choice at the top of my lungs when the last flower was fading away right before my eyes."

Everyone was left speechless at the end of the king's short story and nobody dared to ask the question about Alexander's decision. Nobody, except for Hephaistion.

"What choice did you make, my love?"


	30. Book of Angeles, Ch 5

Title: Alexander Revisited

Disclaimer # 1: I am fully aware that the movie with the same title exists (on DVD); this story was born out of that movie but took a turn to AU where it would reside with no intention of coming into a conflict with the original creation.

Disclaimer # 2: This story is a pure fiction. I don't know the real people involved; anything they do and say in my story has nothing to do with the actual lives of those people.

A/N#1 – I am glad I managed to write and post this chapter on a day that marks an anniversary of Alexander's death. As you know from the previous chapter, in my story neither Alexander nor Hephaistion dies. I hope you enjoy this update.

A/N # 2 - Thank you, my wonderful friends, all of you who read and especially commented on the chapters that I already posted. My special regards to those who reviewed for the first time and who added this story to their favorites and story alert. It would be also wonderful to hear the thoughts of those who read the story but didn't voice their opinion yet. Thank you all.

O

"So, what happens now?"

"Hmmm. I don't know, we have to wait and see."

"Patience was never one of my virtues. And besides, how can you say you don't know?"

"Because I…don't….know. Do I look like an Oracle to you?"

"It's not a good time for jokes!"

"What do you mean?"

"Seriously? Very well, I will spell it for you. You ARE the god of Oracles!

"But not an Oracle itself."

"You are impossible! Our father summoned a council for tomorrow evening. And the sole purpose of this council is your trial! You, as everybody else, swore a solemn oath on the sacred waters of River Styx, not to interfere anymore. We all were given one chance to change the past. We tried and we failed despite the fact that you assured everybody that it was possible to change the past."

"True, I said it was possible to change the past, I never said it was possible to predict it!"

Hermes stared at his brother trying to process the phrase. After some moments of silence, he said, "sure, you are always so good with words. You have to tell the truth and only the truth, but coming from you, truth has so many different meanings; and they call me a god of liars!"

"Sorry, my little brother."

"Don't call me that! Besides….what is going to happen to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know very well what I meant, Apollo! Our little Olympian adventure with black bracelets, with Hephaistion and Jared going back and forth failed. Both Hephaistion and Alexander died, not to mention that poor mortal, what's his name again?"

"Damian."

"Yes, Damian. We failed. We failed miserably and we were forbidden to interfere or try again. And then, miraculously, Hephaistion came back to life, both he and Jared travelled back to the past, not only without those black bracelets but also in a company of Colin, Oliver and Neil. They came back to Siwah and instead of getting lost without any means to sustain themselves, they were greeted with open arms by Frada, Drypetis and all the others. Furthermore, they managed to arrive in the nick of time to save Perdiccas and butchered Seleucos, Peithon, Antigenes and Ptolemy instead. And then, cream de la cream of all this, Alexander is also alive."

"Watch your waist, my dear brother."

"You meant my tongue?"

"No, I meant your waist," Apollo laughed, "I know that patisserie in Paris that you like to visit in secret while pretending to go on Zeus' errands. You gorge yourself of Swiss chocolate and Belgium waffles with meringue cream and caramelized cherries."

"You were spying on me!"

"No, I just keep my promise to your mother to watch your back."

"My back, not my waist! Anyway, you don't have to be concerned with me whereas I have no idea what's going to happen to you. Do you know the punishment for breaking the Oath given on waters of Styx?!"

"Of course I do, but no one ever was punished because no one had the balls to break it."

"Are you saying you did it just to prove that you have the biggest cojones?"

"What a stupid notion. I did it because I believed Alexander and Hephaistion deserved more time together. And I won't be punished for anything."

"You won't?" Hermes stared with suspicion at Apollo. He knew his brother was a master at twisting the truth but he would never tell an outright lie. "So, are you saying it's just happened? On its own?"

"Not on its own. And yes, I have something to do with it, indirectly."

"How indirectly, tell me."

"Well, if you want to be the first to know…. But before that, here is a riddle for you. What Alexander and Eros have in common?"

"They are both blond."

"Hermes!"

"What?" the messenger god looked with a challenge at his brother.

"Try harder."

"Very well, but there are both blond… sort of…. otherwise, hmmmm….. I don't know….their mothers always try to convince everybody that Zeus is their father?"

"No, not that."

"I ran out of the ideas, what?"

"Isn't it obvious? The best way to persuade them to do something you want is to tell them it's impossible to do and nobody ever succeeded doing it before."

"Well, now that I think about it, you are right. But why we are talking about Eros?"

"You know, after Hephaistion and Alexander died for the second time, I was really upset. Especially since I knew none of the gods would do anything about it because of the oath we all gave. So, I went to Eros for some consolation."

"Interesting choice. And?"

"I was appalled to see how cheerful he was. I told him so but he only laughed in my face. He said I was a loser and if he had been in charge, we would never fail and Hephaistion and Alexander would have been still alive. We bickered about it for some time. I said he was mistaken and he said he was not because he can do anything. I said the only thing he was good at was shooting his arrows at unsuspecting victims and even that only when he knew that there won't be any repercussions.

He said he could shoot at whomever he chose, he could make anybody fell in love with anybody. I said it was empty boasting, he said he could prove it to me. He dared me to name anybody, no matter how powerful, and he could make that person to fell in love with me and do whatever I want."

"Let me guess, you already had somebody in mind?"

"Yes," Apollo smiled.

"That's not fair," Hermes was shocked at the cruelty of his brother. "Are you saying you made Eros to force some immortal to fell so blindly in love with you that she, or he for that matter, would do anything for you, including breaking the Oath?"

"Yes and no. I tricked Eros into making a very powerful goddess to fall in love with me and do anything I wish, yes. And what I wished was of course bringing Hephaistion and Alexander back to life and everything that followed without me or her being punished for it.

"Impossible! Everybody gave an oath, every god and goddess, titan and titanness, every nymph, every spirit, every monster, everybody!"

"Everybody, except one."

"There were no exceptions, even our father swore the Oath."

"Think, my little brother. Think. The answer is staring you in the face. As a matter of fact, I think that the reason that nobody thought about it before was because it's so blatantly obvious."

Hermes shook his head in denial. "Not possible."

"Yes, possible. Let's try it again, we all gave the sacred Oath of ….,"Apollo held a theatrical pause and looked invitingly at Hermes.

"Styx," finished Hermes and opened his mouth again to continue when realization hit him, "Styx?! You tricked Eros into making Styx (1) to fall in love with you?!"

"Yes!" beamed Apollo, "and I suspect Eros still didn't realize what he did because only a few days ago he teased me, rather cruelly, that I am going to be banished to Tartarus forever because everybody was convinced it was I who arranged the recent events which means I broke the Oath. Of course, I kept the affair secret and nobody knew about my challenge to Eros but even he didn't connect the dots."

"Oh brother," Hermes looked at his older sibling with respect that befitted a genius.

"So, you are not worried about me anymore?"

"No, I am not! But how did you know that Alexander would choose to become an anonymous nobody?"

"I didn't."

"You didn't? But what would happen if Alexander had chosen to resume his kingly duties?"

"I don't know, it's a different past; as I said, it's impossible to predict."

"I see what you mean. Who was that mysterious goddess that gave Alexander that choice? Do I know her?"

"You don't."

"How come?"

"It was just a dream, Hermes. Just a dream. I sent Alexander a dream which I created myself."

"But why complicate the matters? You could have simply announced him your will."

"Oh Hermes, you have no imagination, whatsoever. What fun is ordering things to happen your way? You always have to give mortals a choice and a dream. They can take them to unimaginable heights, don't they?"

"You are right, I didn't think about it. So, back to my initial question – what now?"

"Well, Hephaistion and Alexander will roam the world through different ages and continents. Jared, Colin, Neil and Oliver will go back to their time to discover that the past changed quite dramatically while they were away…..changing it."

"I wonder, how will they explain their long absence and sudden disappearance?"

"You want a spoiler?"

"Yes, please."

"They were kidnapped by some terrorist group by mistake who mistook them for wandering tourists. They were released because…. end of the spoiler."

"You can't torture me with such a cliff-hanger!"

"Of course I can. And the rest, with Perdiccas at the head, will occupy themselves by reconquering Alexander's empire."

"Successfully?"

"Pretty much."

"Will they meet again? All of them together? Please? Pretty please? If you love me? I will do anything for you?"

"Anything? Promise?"

"Of course. Want me to swear on Styx?"

Apollo laughed, "You know, this trick was good for only once. But I believe you. Very well. They will meet all together again. Only once, though."

"I want to know!"

"Do you want to see?"

Hermes just managed to give a hurried nod when he was swept away by Apollo into future. It happened in the blink of an eye; the merriment in Perdiccas' camp at Nile suddenly was superseded by even more loud and spectacular celebration that was spilled all over some grand city.

"Where are we?" asked Hermes, astounded.

"The marriage capital of Alexandrian empire."

"The marriage capital?"

"Yes; unlike 21st century countries who only manage to boast one capital, the folks in the past knew how to live in a grand style. Perdiccas, the Regent, established several capitals in his vast kingdom: Pella -historical capital, Babylon – bureaucratic capital, Alexandria in Egypt – scientific capital, Persepolis (restored as an afterthought) – financial capital, Ecbatana (restored in the memory of Hephaistion) – summer capital, and of course Susa – marriage capital. Anyone who managed to get into Who is Who list of the time, get married here including any of their family members."

"And who is getting married at this moment?"

"Well, usually, there are a lot of marriages at the same time since winter is short. Remember, the city is unbearable in summer, which is 8 months of the year. But today, it's only two marriages – both of Perdiccas' daughters."

"So, he has two daughters. Good for him. Any sons?"

"Three, still too young to marry, though."

"Well, the blond kept himself busy. How many wives does he have?"

"Actually, only two. I think one is simply for decoration, though the relationship is quite amicable, but he found a true love, believe it or not, and the pair is quite inseparable. Well, there is a peace in the empire now but in the first years, Drypetis accompanied Perdiccas everywhere he went."

"Drypetis?! Are you saying she married Perdiccas? What about Hephaistion?"

"What about him? He sat her free when they parted."

"So, are all the children hers?

"The oldest daughter, Atossa, and the sons are hers. With his other wife, Cleopatra, Perdiccas has only one daughter, Deidamia."

"Cleopatra? Like in the sister of Alexander?"

"Yes. Who else?"

"Well…. And who are the grooms?"

"Let me show you," with those words Apollo pulled his brother in yet another direction and in the next moment Hermes was staring at the beautiful young woman who smiled at somebody entering the bedroom. The god had only a brief moment to ponder the similarity between Atossa and her mother Drypetis, when he saw the young groom. There could be no doubt as to his identity, he could only be Alexander, son of Alexander.

"Perdiccas did well for his oldest daughter. Is Alexander a king?"

"Of course. Perdiccas reverted to his older title, Chiliarch."

"And how is their relationship?"

"You mean Alexander and Perdiccas? Can't be better. Alexander, though, unlike his father, prefers to rule and not to conquer. This task of ruling for him is no less challenging than for his father was to conquer. Besides, Alexander has an ambitious and very talented young general who does all the new conquering for him. He is the second bridegroom, who married Perdiccas' other daughter, Deidamia. I am sure you'll like this pair too. Let's go and see."

"Wait, wait, I didn't yet…..," but Hermes protest was ignored. He was swished away again and found himself in another opulent chamber. The messenger god had only a moment to look at Deidamia, Alexander's own niece, when the door opened and the young bride, quite unceremoniously, run towards the intruder who caught her in his arms and waltzing around the bedroom with his prize, hurried in the direction of the bed.

Apollo had to pull hastily his brother out of the way, both gods were invisible but their bodies were still very corporal.

"I see you were rooted to the floor in surprise," smiled Apollo whispering in the hush tone that mortals couldn't discern.

"I was. Shouldn't have I? That young man, Alexander's best general, you say? He looks exactly like Hephaistion."

"He should, being his son…"

"His son? But how? Who is the mother?"

"You are not good at guessing game today but I am willing to give you one more chance. So?"

"Drypetis? But when?"

"Well, it took them some time to get from Siwah to Memphis, remember? Hephaistion didn't spend all that time arguing with Colin and Jared, especially at night. Drypetis was his wife; besides, he wanted to console her for the loss of their first child."

"And Perdiccas knows?"

"I am going to pretend I didn't hear your stupid question."

"But I mean…., yes, all right," Hermes still was confused; even for his fast flowing mind it was too much to handle. "But didn't you say that nobody was supposed to know that Hephaistion and Alexander were still alive? So, how did they explain the fact? Is he one of the three sons that you say Perdiccas and Drypetis have?"

"No, he is not. He is officially known as Drypetis' and Hephaistion's son."

"I see. Did they pretend that the boy is posthumous son of Hephaistion?"

"No, of course not. It was public knowledge when Drypetis gave birth to her son. Actually, the event was one of the stepping stones in Perdiccas acquiring some control of his runaway empire. They came up with a story that was almost a truth, just tweaked it a little. So, the official story goes that after the death of Alexander, unrest in Babylon and mysterious deaths of her sister and grandmother (they prudently dropped the fact that both were killed on the orders of Drypetis herself), the princess flew to Siwah under the guard of Frada, devoted eunuch of her husband and Sostratos, no less devoted lieutenant. They chose Siwah because Hephaistion was proclaimed a Divine Hero there.

Drypetis sought Oracle's advice and one night her husband appeared to her in flesh and blood. They made love and Hephaistion ordered her to return to Memphis and reunite with Perdiccas there. Drypetis and her retinue did as they were ordered and were guided through desert by Alexander and Hephaistion themselves. They also helped Perdiccas to deal with all the conspirators."

"And this high tale was believed?" Hermes asked with surprise.

"Well, you have to admit, it was almost the truth, and Perdiccas' reversal of fortune was nothing but a miracle. But on a serious note, in the beginning it was a hard sell but as years went by, Phoenix, yes, the boy was given a very ambitious name, grew and became an uncanny copy of his father; there were still enough people alive who remembered very well how Hephaistion looked like. And for those who never saw him, rest assured, there were created enough life like images in the empire to bear the witness."

"Unlike the first time."

"Yes, unlike the first time."

"Wait a moment. But what about the future? I mean the current future."

"Current future is oxymoron."

"Well, I mean, for example the 21st century."

"Well, you know how people tend to explain events of the past that defy explanation. They say that historians were wrong and messed up everything. Mostly, they sustain your original idea that Phoenix was a posthumous son of Hephaistion who was born around the time Alexander died and this is why Drypetis fled to Siwah, she was afraid to become a target of warring factions. The child that was born after Perdiccas' return from Egypt died right after birth and this is when Drypetis and Perdiccas came up with the ridiculous idea of Hephaistion appearing to his wife in Siwah and substituted one boy with another."

"I see. Just another proof that life is always stranger than fiction. So, did Stone still create his movie?"

"Yes, why not? And he chose the same actors."

"I wonder how did they all feel, Jared, Colin, Neil and Oliver, when they came back and found out that the war of Diadochi ended just after a few years with Perdiccas, not the others, emerging as victor?"

"They felt better," Apollo chuckled. "Now, did you forget why I brought you here?"

"Yes, the reunion!" Hermes eyes light up even brighter. "Where it is? I want to see."

"Very well, we don't have a lot of time, so let's go."

Apollo and Hermes whooshed through the palace and soon came to the inner courtyard where some private feast took place. The old soldiers from Siwah still stood guard of this secretive gathering and the guests served themselves at their own leisure.

"Perdiccas looks good," noted Hermes. "I see the life treated him well. And Drypetis too, they look quite an endearing couple. I presume Cleopatra, his other wife, is not part of this gathering?"

"No, she is entertaining Olympia in the main hall."

"The old Epirote Queen is also here? Does she know that her son is still alive?"

"She does not. It is better this way; she would never be able to keep her mouth shut."

"What does she think about her granddaughter being married to Hephaistion's son and her grandson to Perdiccas' daughter?"

"She is quite happy. Out of the three women - her own daughter Cleopatra, Roxana and Drypetis, she likes Darius' daughter the most. I think it is because Drypetis managed to get from Perdiccas what Olympia always wanted from Philip – love, independence and respect."

"I think Olympia would be resentful…"

"What can I say, the mind of women is a complete mystery to me."

"I hear you brother, I hear you. But let me see who else is here. That very old man, well, it must be Oliver, he is almost 90, isn't he? I bet this time it was even more difficult for him to travel from Siwah."

"Oh no, I couldn't be that cruel, besides, they couldn't afford to disappear for so long time again. I think, I brought them directly to Susa this time."

"You think?"

"Well, it must have been a few days ago. Remember, we came from the past now."

"This is very confusing. Future-in-the-past, past-in-the-future."

"Hmm. Don't think about it. Look, there is Jared."

"Depth of Tartarus, how old is he?"

"Just celebrated his 65th birthday."

"Incredible! He looks like 40 or something."

"Well, maybe a little older but you know, he always looked younger than this years. And there is Colin, and Neil – they seem quite enjoying themselves. It will be hard to send them back."

"I hope you'll give them some time to spend together."

"I guess," Apollo smiled.

"Is it just us watching, or other Olympians too?"

"We are the only ones from the past, but in present I am sure this court yard is full of other immortals."

"And they can't see us?"

"They are not looking for us from the past. I am sure us from present are here too."

Hermes looked perplexed at his brother. "We are here twice? How is this possible?"

"We are gods, anything is possible for us."

"May be, but it's beyond my comprehension level. Where are Alexander and Hephaistion?"

"Are you blind? Look, they are right in front of you."

"But….," Hermes stared in disbelieve at the former king and his lover, "they didn't age at all? They look exactly as we just left them in Perdiccas' camp."

"Glad you noticed," Apollo smiled, "care to guess?"

"You made them immortal?"

"Not exactly; I mean yes, they are immortal now, but I didn't do it. Not directly, at least."

"Again not directly…. What did you do this time, brother?"

"Actually, you did it. Remember, before I brought you here, you promised to do anything I ask if only I let them all to reunite again one more time?"

"I did it? I made them immortal? I don't think I have such powers, do I?"

"You don't. But you have a gift to steal…. Anything….In return for what you stole, Zeus granted what you asked him for – the immortality for Hephaistion and Alexander; and clever you, you didn't forget to ask for their eternal youth."

"Oh, what did I steal? Zeus' thunderbolts? Poseidon's trident? Hades' invisible helmet? Eros' bow? Aphrodite's girdle? Athena's shield?"

"You didn't niggle this time. You stole the spindle of Moirai."

THE END

O

[1] Styx, a daughter of the titan Oceanus – a titan goddess who was Zeus firm ally in his war against his father Kronos and other titans. Zeus rewarded her by making her streams the agent of the binding oath of the gods. People mostly think about the River Styx, without realizing she was a titan goddess.

P.S. Dear readers, I hope you enjoyed this story. Thank you for following up, reading and commenting; I couldn't have done it without your constant support.


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